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xtruss · 1 year

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Intelligence Leak Exposes US Deep Involvement in Ukraine Issue, Scale of Spying on Adversaries, Allies

— Song Zhongping | April 09, 2023

Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

The US public opinion field has been continuously cast bombshells in recent days. According to media reports, a number of alleged US military classified documents have appeared across social media, detailing information such as maps of Ukraine and charts on where troops are concentrated and what kinds of weapons are available to them. One is labeled "Top Secret," and is titled "Status of the Conflict as of 1 March."

Analysts said that if the documents are true, it means that the US is more deeply involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and provides intelligence to support Ukraine more than previously known. Not only that, but there are more than 100 leaked documents. Besides the situation in Ukraine, there are many US national security secrets concerning China, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific.

In addition, in a reminder that the US also spies on its allies, another document reports that South Korea's National Security Council in early March "grappled" with a US request that the country provides artillery ammunition to Ukraine, without unduly provoking Moscow, according to the Washington Post.

It is not clear whether the leaked documents were deliberately leaked by US intelligence. The document leak is so eye-catching as it involves a wide range of areas, not only the situation in Ukraine, but also China, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, and so on.

This shows the ambition of the US that it is making more countries get involved in the US strategy to maintain its global hegemony, even at the expense of world peace and stability. The US also hopes to provoke global disputes, while it is unwilling to get involved directly.

The biggest US intelligence leak last time was the PRISM exposed by Edward Snowden. At that time, the information of the US monitoring the world, including its allies, made its allies feel startled and the US itself experience considerable embarrassment.

It is not clear how the leak happened, how big the hole in the US intelligence system was, and whether it was due to technical problems in the US intelligence community or an inside job that led to the leak. But, the leaks will make allies of the US worry that the US has no way to keep them safe, nor could it ensure its own national security.

What is behind US’ aid packages? Chen Xia, April 09, 2023 | Global Times

It is possible that this was a deliberate leak from within the US, especially from pro-Russian Americans, in order to get the US out of the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible. Will the US continue its deep involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the future, or will it end abruptly? The source of the leak likely wants to warn the US government not to get too involved, which could lead to a direct confrontation between the US and Russia. It is also likely that some well-informed people in the US obtained the information and disclosed it to the media, which is the normal way in the US.

"We don't have the slightest doubt about the direct or indirect involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on the leak of secret US military documents, adding that the involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict is deepening. After such a classified information leak, the pressure on the US side is very high.

One thing is for sure - the US is the world's largest spying nation and the country that monitors other countries the most. It is monitoring the entire world, not only its adversaries but its allies as well. The Five Eyes alliance is just a pawn used by the US, and the US will not trust the other four countries in the alliance.

After the outbreak of these incidents, the US allies should be prompted to think about whether the US as an ally can be trusted. The US talks about ideology, democracy, freedom and values, but only its self-interests are a priority.

The US is unreliable. It is only a matter of time before the US abandons its allies at a critical moment. The document leaks may be a good thing, just as Snowden leaked a large number of US secrets, forcing the US to adjust some of its policies. But no matter how much it adjusts, monitoring the world will not change. As long as the US wants to maintain its global hegemony, it needs to know everything about the world, and monitoring is an important means for achieving its goal.

— The author is a Chinese military expert and TV commentator.

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qocsuing · 1 year

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Omega Pro – Scam or Legit?

Who is Omega Pro？

According to the founders of Omega Pro it is a broker that provides its clients access to a wide variety of trading instruments such as currencies, commodities, crypto, stocks and indices, with well over 200 assets in total. They also offer investment packages, with insane returns of 200% to 300% after a period of 16 months guaranteed, laughable considering that markets are fractal and it is impossible to predict a specific return over a specific amount of time, no body can tell the future and accurately say that the market will be at a specific level in almost a year and a half, what is surprising is that withdrawals are actually encouraged but investors are then also sold on the idea of compounding their gains by either leaving the money in the account to continue leveraging the investment, if clients do withdraw they are only allowed to withdraw 60% of their funds and must reinvest the remaining capital, alarm bells start ringing at this point. Once you have invested and obtained membership you are then introduced to the real motive behind Omega Pro, and MLM or Multi Level Marketing program that earns you additional income by recruiting new members, the entry fee is $29 and packages range from $150 AL the way to $15 000, remember that where any kind of recruitment is involved, it is most likely a pyramid scheme. Although some may operate within legal bounds, 9 out 10 pyramid schemes are fraudulent.To get more news about omega pro scam or legit, you can visit wikifx.com official website.

Honestly, in our opinion this company exhibits every aspect of an well thought out scam, unrealistic returns, compounded gains, ridiculous withdrawal policies, trading platform that is constantly reported as inactive or “coming soon”…. With all these red flags we would like to urge all investors to proceed with extreme caution or just stay away completely. 　　After all the warnings by international regulatory agencies and people realizing what was actually going in with Omega Pro, the company went silent for a short while, more recently the company has once again surfaced and is becoming increasingly active and heavily marketing in Nigeria and South Africa from posting business proposals on YouTube in April 2022 to holding virtual events come mid May 2022, WikiFX will be attending to help our members identify its legitimacy but after doing current research I can say that the company is definitely active still unlicensed by the FCA and showing all the same red flags as previous years, this company remains a high risk investment, in fact, Omega Pro is currently under investigation in Congo, where two arrest warrants were obtained for two of Omega Pro officials in the region, if you have already made financial commitments to the company please be mindful your funds.

Conclusion

Based on the company history, past and present business models and especially the long warning list made by financial authorities, Omega Pro is does not seem like the type of firm that should be entrusted with investments, there are just way to many red flags to consider when investing with Omega Pro and without the necessary regulations, investments here are extremely risky…

Omega Pro has repeatedly been labeled as a scam, and does not seem to have changed much.

At WikiFX we plan to keep our finger on the pulse and report on Omega Pro as and when the news breaks, download our app to stay in touch with this developing story.

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yolkyeomie · 3 years

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[blurb] — member: minho, word count: 2489, genre: e2l-esque/rockband au/female!reader/angst(?), warning: none.

note: this is a wildly out of character verison of minho so none of this is probably accurate to his actual personality. I was just tired one hand and this is how I saved myself

[11:30 pm]: “Lee Minho!” You growled. Despite the bustling energy of the dressing room before you had entered, your voice boomed over every single person within the walls limits. Those who were speaking quickly closed their mouths and others who were walking in and out slowed their hasty pace to a creeping stalk. Their eyes turned from each other to you as you stood in the doorway, hand clenched tightly around the door knob in an attempt to keep yourself calm.

Everyone could tell just by taking one glance at you that you were not here to play around as usual. The energy you exude was far too intense for anyone to even crack a smile at you. “Where is he?” You demanded, glancing around the room for the sly cat. “Where is Minho?”

“Here,” a cheery voice informed, nearly giving yourself whiplash as you turned around. There he stood right behind you, his signature black bass guitar slung over his shoulders and his mocking smile plastered against his face. Behind him stood his bandmates nervously glancing between the two of you, unsure of what exactly was going to happen next.

This scenario was something they had seen countless times before yet they still would never get used to the sight of you breathing smoke out of your nose and Minho only looking down on you with endearment. Your anger was entertaining to him, no matter how many times the out of you spat with each other.

“What? Is there something wrong?” He asked, his statement covering for his blatant ignorance, “did you not like the concert? But you had the best seat in the house?”

His condescending words easily began to fan the flame, eagerly watching as your face flickered from a look of pure bewilderment to complete wrath.

You knew Minho was doing this on purpose, yet you couldn’t resist the urge to explode. “Was there something wrong?” You questioned him, reaching out and grabbing the sterling silver chain that hung down his neck. Gasps fluttered throughout the room at your threatening demeanor as you spoke, “You really have the audacity to be asking that right now?”

��Hey, not here,” Changbin interrupted, “Not while everyone is watching. Don’t want a video of your fight to get leaked, do you?” He used his drumsticks to separate the two of you from each other, providing himself as the unprompted middle ground as he gestured toward the staff in the room.

Usually he would be all for watching you rip into Minho without a second thought, but there were too many people around to let it go unchecked. As much as he believed that the bassist deserved every inch of karma that was going to hit him, it couldn’t happen in public. They had a reputation to uphold after all.

The two of you looked around the room for yourselves, taking note of how the entire backstage room was crawling with staff members from the concert the group had held. As much as you wanted to give him a piece of your mind, you would rather not be labeled as the crazy person that barged in and caused a fight.

Begrudgingly you stepped back and away from Minho, just enough for it not to look like you weren’t going to attack him like some rabid animal. “Fine, I won’t.”

“Take it outside, somewhere private would be ideal,” Bang Chan added, whispering as lowly as possible so that any of the more... invading staff couldn’t catch him. “Oh, and don’t do anything stupid? Please? I kinda need Minho alive.”

“You heard the man,” The boy taunted, gesturing back to the band’s leader. “He needs me alive, so keep your hands to yourself this time.”

You didn’t think you could roll your eyes as hard as you did, forcing your hands to your side so that you didn’t actually harm him. The whispers and murmurs only continued to go as you led Minho outside of the dressing room, their voices drifting to your ears despite their attempts to conceal them.

“Is she some crazy fan?” “No, I heard she knows the boys personally.”

“Should we call security? What if she actually harms him!”

“I wonder what Minho did for her to act that way? Honestly, I couldn’t blame her… he’s a little patronizing and stuck up in my opinion…”

You shook off their words as the two of you walked down the corridor of the dressing rooms in silence, a stark contrast to the other staff members who were running about the halls to clean up the aftermath of the band’s concert. Every so often someone would stop to greet the two of you and ask what was going on, the sheer intensity of your auras combined quickly made them back off.

You were always the more approachable of the two but this wasn’t the right time for any of that to happen.

Soon the crowd began to thin out and for the most part, the two of you were left completely alone. The corridor you had turned down was practically a dead end so it was the perfect place for you to antagonize the bassist without running away.

“You said you’d help me with Hyunjin, to get back together with him,” you began, turning your sharp and annoyed gaze on him once again. “You said you’d get me tickets to your concert because I mentioned he was a fan of the band, so what was with that stunt you pulled on stage at the end?”

“I don’t think I understand?” The boy questioned, leaning up against the wall as he continued to feign ignorance like he had done in the dressing room with the staff. “I did exactly what you asked me to. I got you tickets, I got you the best seats in the house, I even got the other members to put his favorite song on the set list for this concert? What could have possibly gone wrong?”

“That song!” You exclaimed, “that dumb song you had created on your own but never released it for the band to play because it was about me. You played it right before the concert ended as the encore. Are you insane, seriously?”

Minho snorted at your frustration, clearly not taking the situation as serious as you were. “Are you serious? You’re mad because I played that love song without telling you? Come on Y/N, you really think he was able to tell that it was about you?”

You scoffed, almost laughing at his answer. A love song? You wouldn’t exactly label the song as a “love song”. “I understand you don’t think very highly of Hyunjin, but he knew Minho. There was no way he wouldn’t have been able to tell.”

It was so clear that Minho knew exactly what he was doing when he was on stage. As the band got ready to play their original encore song, you had caught him skipping around to stage to each member of the band. Starting discreetly with Changbin since he was the drummer in the background all the way to whispering to the lead guitarist, Jisung, near the front of the stage.

Once his words had finally reached the ears of Bang Chan, the leader gave a skeptical glance before his eyes connected to your curious one’s. He hesitated for a moment before putting on a strained smile and speaking into the microphone.

There’s been a slight change of plans in the encore, Bang Chan had announced. The entire crowd let out a wave of confusion as his dimples distracted their fans from his clear distress. I mean, who doesn’t like an unreleased song as the ending note?

The crowd let out a cheer for the change, not bothered one bit by the band switching gears to do something off script. Even Hyunjin was excited to hear the song that even he hadn’t known existed. Though both his wide smile quickly fell once the song began to play, its piercing and strong melody rang through the stadium as Minho strummed his guitar.

Minho had the most lines out of the other members of the band in that song, which was a stark contrast to his usual in the background singing. The boy was standing front and center, hands no longer glued to his guitar but clutching onto the microphone that stood before him. His voice boomed over the speakers as he sang to the crowd, yet his attention wasn’t on his adoring fans that were calling his name.

No, his attention was on you.

Minho’s eyes almost never left your figure as he zeroed you out in the crowd, his prideful smile growing on his lips as he poured his soul into the lyrics he never thought he’d sing in person. It was like he was sending a signal to you and Hyunjin, that the bond that you were trying to rekindle between the two of you would never work out in the end.

You’re mine, Minho’s lyrics conveyed, a meaning only you and Hyunjin could decipher, and I’ll never let you go to him.

“You can’t keep… you can’t keep doing this,” you struggled to convince him (or maybe you were trying to convince yourself?). “You can’t keep trying to interfere with my relationships! I’m my own person, Minho, I like other people! You can’t keep going on like this.”

“I can’t keep going on like this?” He repeated, in shock that you would even have the audacity to say that to him. Minho pushed himself off the wall as he approached you, his stereotypical vile temperament that his staff deemed him as showing through his usual cool head. “I’m not the one who keeps running back to the same person whose heart I broke every time we have a fight!”

Ouch, what a low blow. But it wasn’t like Minho was… lying? As much as you wanted to deny it, every time the two of you got into it you’d go running to Hyunjin afterward.

You needed something different from the constant fire and ice of you and the bassist's quarrels and that was exactly what Hyunjin was. He wasn’t the sheer cold of the winter storm like Minho was, just a pleasant breeze along a hot summer day. That’s why you were so drawn to him at first, that’s why you had jumped head first into a relationship with him, and that’s why you couldn’t exactly let go of him after you had broken up.

So despite Hyunjin being the better of the two, why was it that you only ran to him for comfort? As soon as he had given you what you desired you were back to trailing behind the band’s footsteps. You were back to walking and fighting with Minho.

“Do you really like him?” Minho asked, his tone a little harsher than he planned. Though he didn’t apologize for the attitude as he continued to speak, “Do you really want to be with Hyunjin again or is this an excuse to keep playing with me?”

“It’s…,” you hesitated, why must he ask this up now of all times? “It’s complicated, Minho! Not only that but it’s none of your business to pry into my relationship with Hyunjin? You’ve already done enough damage—”

“Y/N, tell me before I figure it out in a way you aren’t going to like,” he blurted out, finally snagging the words out of your mouth for good. What did he just say? “Do you really still like Hyunjin? Or are you just using him at this point, because it really feels like the latter when you keep hanging around me and not him.”

You stared back at him wide eyed, struggling to form sentences in your head and deciding to spit out whatever you could. “What are you talking about? You mean like use him to make you jealous of something? That’s petty, Minho, I—“

“One,” he began, reaching for the guitar strap on his shoulders to discard the instrument.

“How I feel about Hyunjin is none of your business,” you tried to argue. “See you’re even doing it again! Trying to force your way through when things don’t go your way. I’m supposed to be the one who is asking for answers anyway!”

“Two,” Minho continued, ignoring your rambling as he dropped the bass onto the ground without care.

“Fine, I like him. I’m in love with Hyunjin, are you happy now?” You answer, though the words feel foreign on your tongue as you bite at him. “This fights and bickering we do mean nothing to me, your stupid encore song meant absolutely nothing to me. So stop trying to press forward already.”

Minho stood in front of you quietly, his face contorting in disapproval as he tried to process your answer. “You’re so good at fighting with me but you’re so bad at lying.” He shook his head, amused disbelief donning his face as he took a hold of your shirt collar in the same motion you took his chain necklace. “Three.”

“Why are you intent on this, hm? You don’t like being the one who is toyed with instead of the other way around?” You hissed, snatching his hand off of your shirt with as much strength as you could muster. “All you do is take, take, and humiliate. Get a grip, Minho.”

The boy hesitated for a moment, hovering just inches above your face and his eyes darting around the room. He should have known that you still would have the energy to argue with him, that never ending flame in your chest that kept lighting the cigarette of your relationship.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice called, making you and Minho glance over your shoulder and down the corridor to spot a figure at the foot of it. You immediately recognized it to be the Hyunjin, the fool peering down curiously and a sheepish smile stretching across his face when he finally saw you. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I knew you were backstage. I just didn’t know how long you’d be here for. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, of course,” you respond, your tone immediately going soft as you shoved Minho off of you. The way you spoke to Minho and Hyunjin respectively was so different from each other, one would think that you were two separate people. “Just give me one moment?”

The boy nodded, giving an awkward wave toward Minho given the fact that the last time the two had interacted was the situation during the encore. Though the bassist gave no response as you turned back to him, your original rage replenished as you finally addressed him for the last time. “Don’t ever sing that song again. Not around me, not around your bandmates, not around your fans, no one. I want every bit of its existence erased from my memory.”

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prettywordsyouleft · 4 years

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MonX Hospital | Hyungwon

Pairing: Chae Hyungwon x reader

Genre: dietitian – hospital au / romance / fluff

Warnings: medical and nutrition terms, a little hint of enemies to lovers but not really enough to label it as that

Word count: 3719

“Holly,” Seungwoo called out and the registered nurse turned around to your group standing there, a bright smile crossing her lips. “Can you give us a hint?”

“Let me guess,” she started, pointing at the four of you with a playful smirk. “Mentoring season?”

“Who’s the best doctor to be assigned to?” Soyou asked earnestly and Jeongmin beside you nodded.

“Give us your expertise from working alongside them all.”

The nurse approached the group of students, folding her arms across her chest. “Well, that would be Doctor Coffee.”

“Doctor who?” Seungwoo questioned, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. “Ah, don’t mess with us, Holly!”

“I’m serious, tell me who you all got?” the nurse instructed and then once you were all done, you listing over Doctor Chae as your assigned registrar, she looked at you smiling a little more. “Doctor Coffee is the best to learn from, I stand by it.”

“Why is he called that?” you wondered and she patted you on the shoulder, departing your little group with ease.

“You’ll find out!”

You weren’t sure what to expect from Holly’s recommendation, especially since she was referring to a dietitian. Maybe, it was just a fun nickname, and Doctor Chae was known to have a cup of coffee each morning. That didn’t stand out as something to refer to him as, over your several years studying a Bachelor of Science and now wrapping up your Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics, you had become accustomed to coffee as a vice for yourself, and the majority of students and health professionals you crossed paths with regularly. Coffee seemed to be the staple brew in the health industry.

In fact, as you headed towards Doctor Chae’s clinical room the following morning, you were carrying a takeout cup along with your assorted learning tools. Knocking once on his door, you smiled brightly when he called out for you to enter.

“Hello, I’m Y/N,” you greeted, placing your things down so you could wipe off your hand and hold it out to the doctor. He peered at you disinterestedly, barely gripping onto your hand before returning his gaze to the screen. Trying not to be offended, you watched him silently, one hand swishing an iced Americano around whilst the other scrolled over a patient’s file.

Finally, the doctor spoke. “How long are you joining my clinic for?”

“A month.”

“Okay,” he simply replied, going back to his notes.

Waiting for direction, you glanced awkwardly around the room. “Where should I set up?”

“Somewhere that suits your needs best and doesn’t interfere with the patient consultations.”

Was Holly right that learning from such a prickly doctor would be best? You grumbled inwardly knowing the others were no doubt assigned to more approachable staff.

Once the remnants of his cold beverage were finished, you were surprised by the change in activity out of the man. He threw the cup in the trash, stood up and stretched a little, ready for his first patient. The mood in the entire office improved tremendously, as if the last drop of coffee had to be consumed before the doctor kicked into gear.

You perked up by this, sitting up at your little station more eagerly.

And then it was go time.

You were immediately thrown into the issues various patients were having, writing down both your own notes and anything Doctor Chae asked of you. He was incredibly engaging with each session, both with the patient and with you. It was as if you were in a different office than the one you first stepped into.

The young doctor was brimming with knowledge and helpful tips to both you and his clients. He identified issues in their lifestyle and eating plans and explained everything in a way that was informative without sounding too jargon-loaded.

You almost had to wipe your chin for drool at one point; it had hung open in awe for far too long.

The first week of your practical module went by in a blur that it wasn’t until you were starting your next week in Doctor Chae’s office that you picked up on some observations of your mentor.

You had already become accustomed to his indifference in the morning before his first caffeine hit for the day, and there were several other instances where he returned with another cup within his hand from a meeting or lunch, and had even asked when you went to buy yourself a juice if you could get him a coffee whilst at the cafe last Friday. It hadn’t stood out to you as a problem until he sat down with a man in his early 40s who was facing several dietary concerns.

“How many cups of coffee are you drinking throughout the day?”

The man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “About four to six, depending on the workload.”

“That’s a lot of coffee,” Doctor Chae mentioned and before you could hold it in, a snort left you. Both men within the room glanced at you as you flushed red, apologising quietly and then repositioned your laptop in attempts to deflect the attention away from you. The doctor cleared his throat a little before continuing with his questions for the patient. Once he was done with his diagnostics, he listed off various ways to help the man recover from burnout, lower his stress and support all this with a balanced diet – one in which didn’t include as much caffeine.

And once the patient left the room, Doctor Chae shut the door behind his farewell and turned towards you. “What was that?”

“Huh?”

“The snort within my consultation.”

You smiled guiltily. “Sorry.”

“No, tell me why you snorted exactly.”

“Well,” you started, feeling as if you were balancing on a dangerous edge with how intense Doctor Chae’s gaze was upon you. Still, you decided to use facts. “You had five cups of coffee yesterday.”

“And in your clinical impression of me so far, Y/N, are you mocking me?”

“I just found it interesting that your patient was drinking too much caffeine and as someone who is highly regarded as a nutrition expert, you know how bad it is for you and still do the same.”

“Interesting findings,” he responded curtly, returning to his desk. “What are your recommendations?”

“I uh, I don’t-”

“It was an observation you made over me, and I want to know if you were the doctor and I were the patient, what you would recommend.”

You panicked. “I’m not sure.”

“The right response is to lower caffeine intake slowly, ensure that I’m sleeping well and to look for alternatives to help with energy and any other reasons for why we take in too much caffeine as humans.” The doctor looked back at you questioningly. “Correct?”

“Yes.”

“So what would you recommend for me to drink this afternoon, Y/N?”

“More water, for one.”

“Can you go get me the biggest bottle you can find in this complex then?” he instructed, holding out his card. You stood up and took it with a quick nod, dashing out of the office and started your trek across the building to the café at the entrance.

Bumping into Jeongmin halfway, you let out an exasperated wail. He chuckled. “That bad with Doctor Coffee?”

“I have just made my working environment sour,” you lamented and the fellow student looked at you for further information. “Doctor Coffee doesn’t like being called out for not doing as he preaches. I accidentally snorted during clinical hours at a comment he made about caffeine intake and now he’s tasked me with getting him the biggest bottle of water I can find.”

“Rather you than me. Working with Doctor Laing has been a breeze. She’s so laidback.”

“Shut up,” you grumbled and Jeongmin nudged you playfully. You glowered at the path ahead. “I take back all I said about how much I was enjoying learning under him. He’s a narcissist.”

“Some doctors just don’t know how to take their own advice. Maybe he’s embarrassed that you called him out. I bet not many people have.”

You pondered the option and shrugged. “He could be. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Who knows, you might be good for one another. Him with all his expertise and you with your inability to keep quiet when you find fault.”

“Jeongmin!” you growled as your friend departed your side with a skip in his step. “Just you wait until I next see you!”

“Looking forward to it!” he called out across at the atrium with a fond wave. “Until then, may the water guide you towards clarity and peace!”

You huffed indignantly. Today was going to be a long day.

Doctor Chae did decrease his caffeine intake, at least for the remainder of that week. And whilst you tried really hard to keep your opinions to yourself, given he was prickly towards you for an entire day thereafter, you couldn’t help but find more fault with the dietitian's wellbeing.

He didn’t eat nearly enough, the coffee he did religiously still drink simply sloshing around in an almost empty stomach. He was also incredibly picky for someone who boasted to his patients to try and eat a wide range of food types where applicable.

For a successful dietitian, he was seemingly incapable of taking on his own advice.

“Y/N,” the doctor called out and you blinked out of your thoughts, smiling up at the man standing before you. “Are you going to share your observations?”

“The patient was too focused on weight loss-”

“Not those observations, the ones you’re basically sitting on top of your hands so you don’t spill out.”

“I’d rather, not Doctor Chae.”

“Hm, it must be an authoritative thing,” he muttered and then smiled at you. “Please, refer to me as Hyungwon when it’s just us. There. Now you can tell me.”

You laughed a little. “A name doesn’t take away our roles, Doctor Chae.”

“Hyungwon, please,” he repeated and then sat down on the bed beside your station. “Isn’t it annoying to withhold that information?”

“I’d like to keep working with you.”

“It’s that bad?” he guessed with a sigh, rubbing at his face. “I’ve tried with the coffee thing-”

“You barely eat. And what you do pick up is usually processed and only going to give your sugars a sharp boost and then fall rapidly, causing you to reach for the caffeine again. You don’t seem aware of how unbalanced your diet is, at least within this office and I don’t know if you’re tackling underlying medical conditions or live by a specific diet trend, which you and I both know don’t work for the majority of people and leads to unhealthy eating and medical conditions if overused.”

Hyungwon didn’t say anything for a moment, his arms merely remaining folded across his front. And then he broke into a bashful grin. “Feel better?”

“Oh, you have no idea how much,” you breathed and then blinked, your mouth falling agape. “Doctor Chae, I-”

“It’s easier to focus on others and what they eat,” he announced and you bit back the remainder of your apology. He didn’t seem mad this time, in fact, he was visibly flustered and you wondered if Jeongmin had been right the other week. Hyungwon cleared his throat and continued. “I much prefer making sure others are eating well.”

“Who is going to look out for you then?” you questioned and he became thoughtful before shrugging.

“I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well, its lunchtime right now,” you mentioned, looking at the clock to confirm you were right for his scheduled lunch break. “How about we eat together?”

“Why would you do that? Don’t you meet up with your fellow student friends on break?”

You smiled brightly as you collected your bag. “Today, I’d much rather have lunch with you.”

The doctor was surprisingly out of his element as you dragged him across the road to an eatery, pointing out the different options before settling on a sandwich bar. You insisted that he add more than just meat and cheese to the roll, his uncomfortable expression causing you to giggle when you were seated across from him. “Doctor?”

“It’s very healthy.”

“It should be. A nice balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats. This will keep you going nicely for the rest of the afternoon, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t know if I like you or not, Y/N.”

“Well, I thought the same about you, admittedly,” you confessed, picking up your filled roll with a smile, thinking back to all the times you had worried over your placement in his office. Glancing at the man again, you merely grinned. “But I think I like you now.”

“Huh.”

There was a comfortable silence between you as you ate and when you both headed back across the road to the hospital, you felt lighter than you had all week long. Swinging your arms at your sides, Hyungwon watched you before smirking. “You’re like a kid.”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re in a place of work, and you’re too elated.”

“Should I come to this place grumbling and see it as a ten-hour sentence each day?” you wondered and Hyungwon smiled, loosening up his body a little more. You nodded eagerly. “Look at that, you’re more carefree as well!”

“Only until we have patients. Then the game face goes back on,” he instructed and you nodded, giggling as Hyungwon skipped across the atrium towards the Dietetics department.

The next day, you came armed with supplies. You guessed right that the coffee Hyungwon sluggishly made his way through was the only thing he had in the morning and placed a container of porridge in front of him, along with another snack-size pottle containing some fruit. “Y/N, I-”

Giving the doctor a reproachful stare, he groaned at you before eating the entire thing. You noticed he didn’t leave for his mid-morning coffee, and by lunch, he seemed more alert than his usual. Holding up another packed bag of food, you shook it gently. “I made us lunch. It’s nice outside, so shall we go on a picnic?”

“You know, Y/N, anyone would think you’re enjoying yourself right now,” he commented with a pout as you handed over his share of the meal you had made last night to bring today.

“I am.”

“I must admit, you know how to cook well.”

“Is that half the problem? Are you any good in the kitchen?” you asked and Hyungwon grew bashful. “I thought as much.”

“I never prioritised learning how to cook.”

“I bet your grocery list consists of pre-packaged meals.”

“I’m still in charge of you right now, Miss L/N,” he warned with a playful glint in his eye. “Stop calling me out like this.”

“You need to eat better.”

“Do I?”

“I’ll make sure you do!” you proclaimed and the man smiled to himself.

“You’re certainly making a point about it. Though next week is your last with me,” he mentioned carefully and you shrugged.

“My studies are held within this hospital, Hyungwon. It won’t be hard for me to continue this.”

“The bigger question is, why are you wanting to?” he asked boldly, staring at you with that intense gaze of his. You blinked a couple of times before smiling.

“I want to help you look after yourself. You do such an amazing job for others, someone should help you.”

“This won’t get you brownie points on my final assessment for you.”

You gasped noisily as he chuckled. “I was never aiming for that!”

“I suppose it does make sense for a dietitian to practice what he preaches.”

“Precisely,” you agreed smugly, holding up your bottle of water to clink with his. Laughing together, you finished your lunch before heading back in to work on the afternoon clinic.

As promised, even when your time in Hyungwon’s office came to an end, you still made a point of checking in with him. You couldn’t do the breakfast run but the doctor had taken to sending you pictures to make sure you left him alone about eating first thing in the morning.

And he had sent you one this morning which had you leaving your study session in annoyance, marching over to the outpatients sector of the hospital and towards the Dietetics department. Checking with the reception whether Doctor Chae was with or without a patient, you waited outside for him to wrap up with the patient inside before you barged through him when he went to shut the door after they left.

“Y-Y/N!” he exclaimed hastily, darting in front of you. Glancing around the office, you then glared at the man before you.

“Would you like me to tell you of my findings, doctor?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You see, I noticed that the lighting in today’s photo didn’t quite match the brightness of the world outside. Yesterday was overcast but today is not. And upon inspection, I see a coffee cup and no red and white spotted container. Funny, isn’t it? Because I’m sure you sent me a photo of your breakfast today.”

“I was in a rush.”

“Not that much of a rush that you couldn’t stop for coffee, Hyungwon.”

“You came all the way over here from class to tell me off for sending you the same photo twice? Come on Y/N!” he pointed out with a forced laugh, though you didn’t join him. Hyungwon gulped. “Fine, I’ll take you out for lunch.”

“You better.”

“I promise, now can I get back to seeing my patients?”

“I feel like you’ve become my patient,” you mentioned with a scowl, turning on your heel as you headed back to the university level of the hospital.

Breakfast and lunches together soon morphed into dinners as well. You hadn’t realised it, but you spent an awful lot of time together now. Standing in Hyungwon’s kitchen using his brand new cooking equipment, since he hadn’t really owned any before, you were almost done with dinner when Hyungwon appeared post-shower.

It should have dawned on you a whole lot sooner than now just how things had changed between you and the doctor.

You were unnaturally quiet over dinner and Hyungwon watched you carefully, putting down his utensils midway. “You figured out I didn’t eat breakfast again, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“I slept through my alarm. But this time I did get a blueberry muffin along with the coffee,” he continued, though when you didn’t praise his efforts, Hyungwon paused, narrowing his gaze. “What’s wrong with you?”

“N-Nothing.”

“Are you not happy with dinner? I thought you had done a good job,” he attempted, looking at his plate and then back to your face, still perturbed. “Y/N, you’re going to have to tell me so I can-”

“I think I’m in love with you,” you blurted out and Hyungwon rocked back in his chair, unmoving once the force of his action settled the seat again. You clamped your eyes shut. “I never realised just how much we’ve been acting like this for.”

“Acting like what?”

“Me coming into your world and making you eat each day. It was never my place.”

“No, but I’ve appreciated it. My health hasn’t been this good in years.”

“I stopped eating with my friends because I wanted to eat with you. And I’ve had fun doing so. We’ve been eating together for almost a year now.”

“Have we?” Hyungwon thought for a moment and then nodded. “So we have.”

“I’m guessing you don’t feel the same way,” you commented, pushing back your seat and standing up. “I should go.”

“Wait, Y/N!” he called as he came after you, taking a hold of your wrist and pulling you around. “I’m just confused about how you came to blurt out that you might love me when all you’ve done is talk about eating together.”

Looking up into his eyes as you tried to hold back your emotions from the sudden realisation, you inhaled a deep breath. “I could get used to doing more than just eating with you.”

“Last night we watched a movie together,” he pointed out and you nodded.

“See, we’re basically like a couple. You’re always helping me when I have problems too.”

Hyungwon smiled then, pushing your hair out of your face. “Can I tell you something?”

“Please, I feel like I’m going mad with how calm you are right now.”

“I thought we were already a couple,” he confessed and you merely stared back at him.

“What?”

“From when you were still being mentored by me. That last couple of weeks together, you insisted we ate together and treated me as if I was someone special to you. I knew back then I liked being around you. I mean, you were the first to point out just how easily I was forgetting myself. Your attention on me made me crave it more often.”

“Then why haven’t we made it official?”

Hyungwon shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t think we needed to. I liked being with you and you seemed to like it too.”

“I do,” you agreed softly. “Why didn’t I connect what I felt for you was like I would of a partner until I saw you drying off your hair?”

“Did it feel highly domestic? You cooking dinner whilst I showered away my long day?” he offered and you reached up to place your hands on his shoulders.

“Can you continue that scene?”

“Hm, maybe I should thank the chef for her amazing meal.”

“That would be nice.”

Leaning in towards your lips, you closed your eyes and waited for impact. Instead, you felt the breath he expelled fall across your face, along with two words. “Thank you.”

“I think I’m going to kill you now,” you responded, snapping your eyes open right when Hyungwon pressed himself into you, kissing away your annoyance at his playful approach. Your eyes fluttered shut again and you fell within the kiss, humming in delight when he finally pulled away.

Hyungwon smiled at you affectionately. “Should we go finish dinner?”

“And watch a movie?”

“Then fall asleep against one another because it’s gotten late?”

You smiled, side-hugging the man as he moved you back towards the table in his apartment. “And eat breakfast together for the first time?”

“I really like the sound of that.”

_________________

Next: Jooheon

[MONSTA X Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

#kwritersworldnet #chae hyungwon #hyungwon fanfic #hyungwon fiction #hyungwon fluff #hyungwon au #hyungwon scenarios #monsta x #monsta x fiction #monsta x fanfic #monsta x fluff #monsta x au #monsta x scenarios #pwyl; monx hospital #kpop fiction #kpop fanfic #kpop fluff

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homeformyheart · 3 years

Text

best vs. worst decision - m!raleigh x mc (plat)

author’s note: thank you for the ask @raleigh-edward!! i really do love writing these, even if they take me a while. this was partially inspired by that one scene in the SATC movie (i won’t spoil it). i hope you enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. series/pairing: platinum - m!raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian) rating/warnings: 14+; descriptions of smoking word count: 1.3k

best vs. worst prompts / 6. best decision vs. worst decision

worst decision

cadence blinked once as fatima finished the final touches on her makeup before smiling at her reflection in the mirror. she took off her large emerald-cut diamond ring and placed it carefully onto a silver necklace chain. zadie helped clasp the necklace behind her neck so that the ring fell perfectly below her collarbone. she stood up and twirled around for her friends.

“you know, i am not a romantic sap by means, but cadence, you look absolutely breathtaking,” fiona smiled, nodding her head in approval.

cadence beamed. “that means a lot coming from you, fiona. are you tearing up?”

fiona glared. “you saw nothing. i’ll see you at the ceremony.”

zadie locked eyes with cadence after fiona left the room and they burst out laughing. “seriously though, how are you feeling?”

cadence smiled. “i’m so happy and excited, zadie. not even the least bit nervous.”

raleigh leaned over the balcony outside his hotel room, taking a long drag of his cigarette. he blew the smoke out and exhaled deeply, watching the smoke gather and then float away into the gloomy, overcast day. he looked down at the street below, empty of passersby because they got special permission to shut down the block for the day.

raleigh hated weddings. or at least, the idea of them. the entire wedding industry was just as bad as the music industry, full of fake people trying to take advantage of sappy couples. an industry fixated on curated, pictagram-ready, material things that don’t mean anything. an industry centered around decisions on things that don’t tell the guests why someone would choose to get married.

at the end of the day, it was just one big party. and raleigh had been to his fair share of parties, to say the least, but this one was an absolute circus. their labels had conspired and basically, in his opinion, coerced cadence into making the wedding into a huge event to cap off the end of her latest world tour. their labels promised to give them privacy and time off afterward, since fanfare around wedding details would be enough to keep the media frenzy going for a few months.

there was a time when he didn’t think there’d be a limit to what he would be willing to do for a semblance of privacy with cadence. he took another long drag of the cigarette before putting it out underneath his shiny black tuxedo shoe. he could see below that cadence’s black limo just pulled up in front of the hotel. he watched as she stepped out of the car, the beautiful white gown billowing around her as she waved to fans and the paparazzi camped around the barriers. he exhaled the cigarette smoke through his nose, relishing the burn. as he watched cadence disappear into the hotel, he realized he did have a limit.

* * * * * cadence felt her body freeze when she saw fiona walking briskly down the corridor with a frown on her face. she felt numb from head-to-toe as fiona explained to her that raleigh called off the wedding. that the man she loved changed his mind. she didn’t register her arms falling down her sides and her bouquet dropping to the floor as she picked up the skirt of her dress and turned to run. to where, she didn’t know; her brain was a foggy mess struggling to process what just happened and why, while her eyes were failing to blink back the tears streaming down her face.

she couldn’t hear fiona and zadie calling after her; she didn’t even register the sound of her heels on the sidewalk or the flashes of photography as she ran outside and opened the door to the limo. all she could hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears.

“cadence, wait,” raleigh said, grabbing onto her wrist. his touch seemed to snap her out of her haze.

“no, i don’t ever want to see you again. don’t call me, don’t talk to me. we’re done,” cadence snapped at him in-between sobs, yanking her necklace so the chain broke and throwing it at raleigh.

raleigh watched as the only woman to make him believe that real love was possible in a fake industry disappeared inside the car and drove away. he glanced down at the necklace and his heart sank when he recognized the engagement ring he had bought her. raleigh carrera had no shortage of stupid decisions he’s made throughout his life, but this one was the worst.

best decision

cadence had never seen raleigh so excited that he almost seemed giddy. a word that normally would be the opposite of what was used to describe him. but as he drove them in a rented convertible away from the tiny airstrip on the tropical island they just landed on, his grin was so wide that cadence felt like her cheeks hurt.

“will you tell me where we are yet? this place looks pretty deserted,” she remarked, looking around at what basically looked like a jungle. at least they were driving on concrete roads so there must be civilization somewhere.

raleigh just grinned and cadence rolled her eyes. “fine, but can we stop somewhere for food?”

an hour later and they were strolling hand-in-hand in an open market across the street from the little strip mall where they grabbed lunch. cadence kept squealing and dragging raleigh from booth-to-booth whenever something caught her eye, whether it was fresh produce or souvenir trinkets. her shopping antics would have annoyed him back home, but here, where they were on vacation, he only found them adorable.

they finally made it back to their villa after a few hours of wandering around and stopping at every market they came across during the drive. raleigh couldn’t bring himself to feel exhausted with how excited and animated cadence was. she seemed to skip across the foyer and through the dining room where there were doors that opened up to a deck and a private ocean view.

“raleigh, look at this!” cadence gestured wildly in front of her as raleigh came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“i know, why do you think this place is so far away from anything else? it’s very private,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“how private? can i scream at the top of my lungs?” she asked, tilting her head so he could kiss down her neck.

raleigh chuckled and moved so he was standing next to her. “you could go skinny dipping and not worry about crazy fans or paparazzi, i promise.”

“how did you manage that?” cadence asked, curious. raleigh typically took them places where he could rent out entire properties to ensure some level of privacy, but they were still careful given long-range cameras could breach most advanced security measures these days. this next level privacy seemed almost too good to be true.

he glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “i, uh, bought it.”

“you bought the property around the villa?” cadence asked, only somewhat surprised.

“actually, i bought the island.” at that, her jaw dropped and she looked at him, stunned.

he regained his composure and gave a wicked grin. “so, you know you can scream as loud as you want,” he winked.

cadence laughed and reached for his hand. “then, i think we should take advantage, don’t you think?” she turned and led him down the steps towards the beach.

raleigh was definitely feeling giddy. while it had still been an impulse buy, it was already paying for itself.

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @dulceghernandez; @freckles-spangledvampire; @thegreentwin; @kat-tia801; @kelseaaa; @otherworldlypresents; @brycesgirl; @robintora;

#choices platinum #reposting for new blog #raleigh carrera #raleigh carrera x mc #cadence dorian #raleigh carrera x cadence dorian #raleigh x cadence #choices #pb choices #playchoices #not twc #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #my prompt fill #choices prompt fills #my writing #raleigh x mc #raleigh-edward

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shishu-writes · 4 years

Text

Stories

𝐁𝐨𝐤𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Words: 3.1k

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: language, Tattoos (?)

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU FUNKY LITTLE VOLLEYBALL MAN HERES YOUR GIFT BOKUTO STANS!! THIS IS MY LONGEST WORK YET AND I TRIED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH MY STYLE OF WRITING!! this is a lot more story based than dialogue based so enjoy!

After having the privilege of being with Bokuto for so long, there are many stories you have to share. Not a day went by that felt dull. There was always an adventure or antics for the two of you to be up to no matter the time, weather or place.

Here's some of the stories that you can recall like they were yesterday.

Seven years ago when you agreed to assist the boys volleyball team as a temporary manager, the day you met Bokuto. This is a story you enjoy to tell, not once failing to perk up when a friend or relative asks how the pair of you met, eager to share what, to you at least, feels like the love story of the century.

When you saw him for the first time, a smile on his lips as if it was made to be there, chatting loudly amongst his less vocal friends, throwing his hands in the air and jumping around to emphasize points in his story was like breathing for the first time. He was so animated, speaking his mind without a thought weighing him down. It was a skill he had mastered, that you hadn't yet. When he noticed your presence awkwardly standing in the doorway of the gym, he decided then to greet you for the first time. Which, in time, he realized was the single most important and life changing decision he ever made.

You became friends within the first day, exchanging numbers as practice ended before waving goodbye to Bokuto, who stood in place, watching you walk away. Seconds after you turned the block and were no longer in view, a buzz rang from your pocket, and on your phone sat a notification from the number just recited back to you.

The night was spent texting back and forth until your eyes got heavy, and only when you closed your eyes, resting your head on the pillow beneath you did you realize just how speaking to Bokuto came so easy. For the first time you didn’t hesitate when talking to him as you did everyone else. There was no fear of judgement if you said something wrong, or asked something silly. It felt like he listened to you and wanted your opinions and commentary, just as you wanted his.

Late night texts turned into calls that lasted until the next morning, small waves in the hallway became lunch dates and study sessions in the library, and the lone walk you took home every night after practice became a nightly adventure as Bokuto insisted he would come along, despite his home being in the complete opposite direction.

The months after your friendship bloomed, when he finally realized his feelings for you. (-Or, rather, Akaashi did.) Which is also one of the fondest memories you have.

It was the first day since you met him that he was nervous.

Akaashi wasn’t blind, but he was aware how blind his best friend could be to his own emotions. The way Bokuto’s eyes softened when you spoke, or how Bokuto would smile more with his eyes when he was talking to you, but still you offered the biggest grin to urge you to continue to speak, or even how he’d cut people off who interrupted you when you spoke, loudly declaring that you had something important to say and was talking before being “rudely” interrupted, even if you weren't saying anything even relatively significant at the time.

He could understand just how head over heels his best friend was, despite his best friend being completely oblivious to it himself.

The day Akaashi asked Bokuto if he liked you is the day Bokuto’s entire world shifted. Now that he was aware of his own feelings he felt as if everything would change. How would he ever face you? You probably didn't even like him back. Could the two of you ever be friends again if he couldn't get over his crush on you? A million thoughts raced through his mind at once, and the far away, almost anxious look on his face caused Akaashi to blurt out the obvious solution to the issue at hand.

“Why don't you just tell her and see what she says?”

So he did. The same day.

He told his coach quickly before practice that he'd be a little late then sprinted to the nearest convenience store. He hadn’t a clue how to confess or what girls in general liked, so he went off of the things he'd seen on T.V.

He bought a large bouquet of flowers, chocolates and some of your favorite snacks, paying quickly before stuffing everything in his duffel bag. He ran back to school, tossing his bag in his assigned gym locker before getting to practice. He didn't wave at you, nor did he shoot you a glance, and the entire practice he was off his game, hitting shots out of bounds or bouncing directly off the blocks and into his court, however none of that resinated enough with his mind to pull him into his “emo mode.”

After practice was over he ran to the locker rooms to change, being interrogated promptly by the rest of his team on his odd behavior. Their gripes and concerns landed on deaf ears as Bokuto got dressed, grabbed his bag and ran from the room, greeting you in your usual spot outside by the gym doors. Sweat started to bead along his forehead, rolling down his red cheeks. Raising a curious brow, you ask him if he's okay before he bows quickly, apologizing loudly before unzipping his duffel bag, revealing what used to be a full bouquet of roses, but has now been reduced to stems with loosely hanging petals littering the greenery, and a couple squished snacks.

He pushes the ruined bouquet into your chest, yelling in a higher pitch than his usual tone that he’d like to take you out on a date, slowly he looks up, and just then realizes just how tattered the roses were. He quickly retracts his hands, putting the stems behind his back and his shoulders slump. Silence ensues for seconds, which felt like hours to the boy, before your laughter rings loudly upon his ears. It wasn’t in a mocking tone, but pure joy. Slowly the flustered boy giggles too, before the pair of you are sitting, laughing with tears brimming the corners of your eyes on the concrete walkway into the dimly lit gym.

After the laughter died down, the happiest “I’d love to.” left your lips.

The night he met your parents, which is still your parents favorite story to retell seven years after that night.

Bokuto was nervous, yet again. Since your relationship officially began and the pair of you put a label on yourselves, he had become a bit more accustomed to this feeling of nervousness. He felt like he could lose you, and it scared him. So the day you brought up meeting your parents it struck such an intense feeling of fear in him you had to physically jostle him out of his thoughts.

It took a long time and a lot of convincing but he agreed. The Friday night of the dinner arrived and Bokuto showed up at your house an hour early. As you opened the door, still adorned in pajamas, hair only half way done. He stood with a bouquet of flowers, this time, untarnished.

His hair was done nicely, dressed in a button up shirt, half of it tucked in and the other side hanging out and a belt with nice jeans. You stared up at him, eyes wide, partially because you didn't expect him so early, before walking onto the porch with him and closing the door behind you. He stuttered out apology after apology, saying how Akaashi told him he should arrive a little early to make it seem like he respected your parents time, and to prove to them he REALLY respected their time he showed up an hour before dinner.

Giggles left your lips as you fixed his shirt, adjusting his collar and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of your sleeve. You spent a couple minutes talking him down until he was relatively more relaxed before inviting him in. Instead of berating him like he thought they would, your parents laughed it off when they heard his explanation.

His flowers were put in a vase and your father sat to speak with him over various things. You left the room with a kiss on your fathers and Bokuto's cheek, heading up to your room to finish getting ready while your mother busied herself in the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later you came back down to the sound of raised male voices from the room you had left the two men previously. There your father and Bokuto sat, talking animatedly about sports. A friendly argument had broken out, both yelling out their opinions to each other with lighthearted smiles on their faces.

You stood, watching them for a moment, admiring the fact that it took a mere thirty minutes before Bokuto had already made friends with your father.

As dinner was served the four of you made your way into the kitchen, sitting down at the table next to your boyfriend, who was less tense, but still somewhat on edge as he had yet to properly speak with your mother. The dinner went smoothly, your father and boyfriend cracking jokes and playful jabs at each other, and your mother finally getting in a good conversation with Bokuto.

The night was coming to a close, plates empty as the four of you just chatted idly. Your hand was resting in Bo’s beneath the table, rubbing a soothing thumb over the back of his hand whenever he tensed up at a question or topic. Before your father decided it was time to reel it in for the night, he asked Bokuto one final question.

Your father asked Bokuto's intentions with you, the playful glint in his eye disappearing. The look he was giving the boy made him want to disappear. Eyes wide, mouth now suddenly dry despite the multiple glasses of water he had throughout the night, he stuttered.

“Uh-I-i um- well I love her! I mean- no I don’t-shit-oh god- excuse my language- I do love you is that too soon? By the look in your eyes it looks like you're going to say it's too soon and if it's too soon I take it back!” words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even really comprehend what he was saying, your parents sat back stunned and you sat there mouth agape, still holding his now sweaty hand.

Your parents excused themselves awkwardly after a moment, stifling laughter as they made their way upstairs, and the two of you sat in silence, as Bokuto apologized quietly you cupped his cheeks, pressing an ever so gentle kiss to his lips

This, as well, was another first for the night.

His entire body was ridgid, before melting into the feeling of your lips against his slightly chapped ones. As you pulled away, Bokuto hesitated before leaning in once more, pressing a quick, simple peck on your lips, then retreated as well, noses just barely brushing against each other.

That was the only response he needed.

The night the both of you had a little too much to drink, another favorite of the two of you.

The both had downed just enough beer to get tipsy, having celebrated Bokuto's 21st birthday the night before, and still having some alcohol your friends so gracefully left over for you both, you decided to not let it go to waste and chugged down a couple bottles.

Drunken words and kisses were exchanged in the living room of your shared apartment, giggles and hiccups echoing through the home. Bokuto, whose head was resting on the couches arm, perked up, looking at you, whose body tucked away between his slumped over form and the cushions on the couch.

‘Y’know...I want...a tattoo…” he muttered, returning his focus back to the ceiling which for some reason had him entranced. A laugh shook your body, causing him to giggle as well. shrugging , you asked him why he wouldn’t get one, to which he responded, eyes wide, with “I...I dunno…” before jolting up and running, or more stumbling, to your shared room to grab his phone and wallet.

“Lets go now! Now let's go!” he yells, bouncing up and down excitedly. Seeing no problem with it in your intoxicated state, you agree, pulling on shoes while Bokuto called an uber, then driving, at 9pm on a Saturday, to a parlor. As you arrived, Bo hesitated at the door, turning to you with a pout. “Wait..” he grumbled, hunched over in thought. “if i get one you have to get one as well!”

And that's how he convinced you two to get matching tattoos, the first letter of your name etched into the side of his ribs, and a big “K” etched onto yours.

The morning after, the killer headache and soreness from your ribs woke you. Barely remembering what happened, you stumbled to the bathroom, waking Bokuto up in the process, and pulled your shirt up in the mirror. It didn't even surprise you. A breathy laugh left your lips as Bo entered the bathroom as well, lifting his shirt off to see what his looked like. The biggest grin stretched across his face, sprinting back to the bedroom to get his phone, promptly taking pictures of your tattoos and sending them to Akaashi.

As the years progressed, and Bokuto had his rise to fame as a professional athlete, stories like these dwindled. He had a job now that required him to be away more than not, and loneliness creeped in every once in a while, despite Bokuto’s determination to call and text you every day before bed.

Offhandedly, the week he was home, you mentioned that its weird feeling for him on his side of the bed and it being empty and cold. That same day, maybe an hour later, Bokuto left. Then, two hour later, he returned home with a small Shiba Inu puppy.

“I didn’t know which one to get...but I saw you liked a meme with this dog in it on instagram...so I got him…”

And so, without even questioning his antics, the two of you named him Taro, and spent the next week with your new addition to the family to get him accustomed to living there.

Now, seven years have passed, and here you lay, the morning of your anniversary, Taro's large sleeping form warming the bed next to you, while your boyfriend worked hard in a training camp in America so he could obtain his dream of being recognized as one of the most powerful players in the Japanese league.

The ceiling seemed especially appealing as you recounted the last seven years, a faint smile on your face. Even though Bokuto wasn't able to be here today, he sent you a short: “I love you, relax for me today, happy anniversary!” text, presumably as soon as he woke up, which was enough for you.

You sat up, bare feet hitting the cold floorboards of the apartment the two of you have, more recently, began to pack up as to move into a new house. Your first house, together.

Standing up, you shook your head, rubbing your eyes and made your way to the bathroom. There you took a long shower, taking more time than usual to cool yourself down. Afterwards, breakfast was made and served for yourself and Taro, and the two of you laid comfortably snuggled up on the couch for more than half the day.

As 3pm rolled around there was a soft pounding at the door down the hall, Taro got up quickly, trotting to the door and waited patiently for you to open it, standing alert in case it was an unwelcome guest.

You unlock the door quickly, not expecting anyone to show up today, and as the door swings open you notice a line up of the MSBY boys you’ve come to love, all standing at the opposite end of the hallway from you, facing you as you open the door, each holding a couple roses, some holding stuffed animals and others holding boxes of your favorite snacks, adorning nice button ups and jeans, all with somewhat tired expressions (presumably from being jet lagged), but big smiles. (excluding Sakusa)

As you look around, taken aback, but an excited look amongst your features, you finally notice Bo, standing at the end of the line. He smiles widely and rushes in to hug you, spinning you around excitedly before laying the sweetest kiss on your lips. “I know you weren’t expecting me home, but I may have lied just a bit about when the camp would end...I couldn't miss our anniversary.” he chuckles. Too shocked to speak, he gently grabs your hands, drinking you down one last time before he takes one hand off of yours, moving to his back pocket. “So...I wanted to keep this a surprise...mostly because I felt like seeing you shocked like this would be really cute- but also because It’d make doing this..” He mutters, slowly kneeling down on one knee in front of you. “A little bit more romantic.”

That was your breaking point. Sobs fall freely down your cheeks as you watch him kneel in front of you, the most genuine, loving smile on his lips. The one that never changed or altered even after all these years. There he knelt, rambling on about how much he loved you. How he was so happy he could spend the last seven years with you, and that calling you his wife would be the greatest privilege you could grant him. The man you loved the most, the man that single handedly changed your future the day you met him, wanted you, and only you, for the rest of your lives.

You said yes, of course.

And as he slid the gorgeous diamond onto your finger, he pulled you in for the tightest hug. Soft sobs leaving both of you as he held you. And seconds later, the rest of the MSBY boys tackled the two of you in a hug as well, all either sobbing (Hinata and Atsumu) or somewhat teary eyed but would always deny it when this story would, ultimately be retold (Sakusa).

Out of all the stories you reminisced upon today, you just knew that this one would be your favorite.

#bokuto kotarou #happy birthday bokuto #kotaro #haikyu #haikyuu #bokuto haikyuu #haikyuu bokuto #bokuto kotaro #bokuto kotarou x reader #bokuto x reader #x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyu x reader #fukurodani #fukurodani x reader #haikyuu fukurodani #bokuto kotaro x reader #bokuto birthday week

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smallnico · 4 years

Note

Are you a Gold Star lesbian? (Just in case you don't know what it means, a Gold Star lesbian is a lesbian that has never had the sex with a guy and would never have any intentions of ever doing so)

EDIT: i’ve been told this anon is a bot, and a lot of people have received this same message. who would program a bot to do this and why is a mystery to me. assuming no harm is done in doing so, i’m going to keep my response up instead of deleting it because i spent a good amount of time writing it, and i think it’s informative, which is why i wrote it in the first place.

~~~

i’m going to do you a favour here and assume you didn’t mean any harm by asking me this, that you just didn’t know better or didn’t think it through. i’ve said some pretty weird things to people on impulse, so i know how it feels when people react aggressively when you weren’t trying to insult them or freak them out or anything. normally, i would just block you for something like this and delete the ask, but given the number of asks i’ve been getting these days after a long drought of interaction, maybe it’s a good idea to re-establish some boundaries, not to mention explain to someone who might not know better why i have so many objections to the concept of a ‘gold star lesbian’.

first off, even when i’m hosting a frank discussion about sexuality on this blog, i never want to be asked about my sex life. some people are comfortable talking about theirs on tumblr -- i am not one such person. people are welcome to enjoy this blog and ask the occasional question, probe me for opinions, but my personal life is not open for spectators. there’s a meaningful difference between asking me about my sexual orientation and my experiences as a queer person, and asking me who i’ve had sex with. one is an opportunity for education, and the other is inappropriate and invasive. i’m already really dodgy about answering questions about my personal life, about friends and location and whatever, so already that ought to be a good warning to never ask me about my sex life. it is none of anyone’s goddamn business. this is a recipe for an instant block, and to restate, the only reason i’m not blocking this anon is because it’s a learning opportunity, and i’m feeling generous today.

the other reason i’m answering this question is because it’s an opportunity to save you, anon, from the trap of believing in ‘gold star lesbians’. i already know what the term means, and i’ve long since formed a firm opinion about its uselessness.

1) a lesbian is not a better or worse lesbian for having/not having sex with men. there are a wide range of lesbian experiences that have room for a sexual history/future with men, and nobody -- absolutely nobody -- has the right to claim superiority over these people based on their comparatively “”pure”” sexual history. some lesbians formerly identified as straight, bi, pan, etc., and some may identify with those labels in the future. some older lesbians went their entire lives thinking they were straight, being married to men and having children before discovering who they are, does that make them less of a lesbian? does that make their current identity less qualified? i’ve been questioning my sexual orientation since i was thirteen years old, and not that it matters, but i don’t even identify as a lesbian anymore. am i tainted somehow? 2) let’s not pretend it’s not about purity, and let’s not pretend that purity means fucking anything when it comes to the spectrum of human experience. nothing is pure, nothing human will ever be pure, and anyone who claims their whatever the hell makes them pure is inflating their own pride at the cost of others they’ve arbitrarily declared are dirty. 3) men are not dirty. sex with men is not dirty. people who have sex with men are not dirty. you don’t get an award for not having sex with men, and the idea that ‘not having sex with men’ is a reward in and of itself is deeply unfair to both men and the people who find men attractive. there are a lot of excellent reasons people choose to have sex with men. the choice to have sex with men is not something i’m willing or even inclined to slander, even if the person making that choice is a lesbian, and even if they’re making that choice for pleasure. 4) sometimes, it’s not a choice. let’s not pretend rape in all its inglorious forms doesn’t count as sexual history, and hopefully we can all agree that, even if you’re 100% certain someone has never been raped, asking them to recount their sexual history to see if they qualify for some kind of honour is, at best, a rude and senseless violation of their privacy. 5) let’s also not pretend the concept of a ‘gold star lesbian’ isn’t borderline transphobic. i’ve seen a lot of people define ‘gold star lesbian’ as “a lesbian who has never touched a penis”, which naturally frames trans and some intersex women as dirty, while also discounting their womanhood. even if the term isn’t meant in a transphobic way, it has altogether too much flexibility as a concept for use by transphobic lesbians and terfs and not enough value in and of itself to bother reclaiming. 6) the label seeks to frame a specific lesbian experience as superior to any other experience, and does so at the expense of other queer people, and for what? is there a point to policing people’s identities and sexual experiences beyond “proving” one person is “”more queer”” than another? it’s ludicrous. it invalidates their experiences to make a select few people feel like they’re inherently better than everyone else, and i’m against that dynamic on principle. 7) if anyone thinks i’m reading too much into this, two things. one, it’s one of the only things my degree qualifies me to do, and two, just look at how the phrase ‘gold star lesbian’ is worded. you get a gold star. it’s a reward, an accomplishment, a sticker on your nametag, something which separates your from and prizes you above others because you did something good. in this case, ‘others’ is functionally everyone else in the queer community, and ‘something good’ is abstaining from sex with men. we’ve already been over why sex with men should never be seen as an inherently bad thing, and we as queer people should know better than to exclude each other for failing to conform to an arbitrarily ‘standard’ experience of sexuality.

i’m sure there’s more, but i’ve already spent enough time on this response. anon, if you’re reading this, it’s okay if you didn’t know better, and i hope i could teach you something today. i do get the feeling you asked this question in earnest, so as long as it doesn’t happen again (in which case, again, you will be blocked), no sour grapes. but to you and everyone else following this blog, this is an example of an inappropriate question -- for reasons on top of how many objections i have to the ‘gold star lesbian’ label. we have fun here on smallnico.tumblr.com, but i’m a real human being out there in the world, and this blog is my platform and spectacle, not me. there’s a reason i’m on tumblr and not twitter or instagram.

#loquor #anon #the askbox #'begone cryptoterf' is my favourite reply to this post

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always5hineee · 3 years

Text

Infallible- Chapter 12: Grocery Run

Word count: 1651

Chapter warnings: Mild language

-----

The feeling got worse as Jisung continued. She started being able to feel the disagreeable sensation in specific parts of her body, just as he had described. It was mostly just unsettling because of the sheer abruptness, though. It would be pulling on her bones one second, then ripping at her liver the next. By the time she had adjusted, it had moved on. His hands were laying flat on her body, one on her abdomen and the other on her upper chest between her collarbones. His eyes had since slid from hers and were now shut, concentration twitching on his face.

Every now and then, she gasped out in surprise or pain at a new feeling, causing Felix to get jumpy. Every time it looked like he was going to intervene, though, Bang Chan would touch his wrist, warning him against interrupting. Han began breathing almost as heavily as her, digging his nails into her skin as Felix watched in abject concern. Just as she was considering telling him to stop, the pain completely faded. Simultaneously, Jisung flew off her body, slamming back into the wall behind him with a pained noise.

Vision clearing, she sat up, shaking her head in an attempt to organize her thoughts. Felix had run to her side, Minho not far behind, while Changbin and Chan ran to help Jisung. He held a hand to the back of his head, groaning at the blow.

"Are you okay?" Felix asked her, looking at the crescent shaped nail marks near her neck. They were reddening, but not profusely bleeding. She nodded shakily.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. What happened?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" Minho glared at Jisung. Looking at him, Y/N finally saw just how battered he was. In the invisible explosion, his wings had fallen out of his control, making them visible to her. They were much bigger than any of the other angels, which seemed strange to her. Not only that, but they were a sleek black, feathers falling around him like strange, dark flower petals. The hooked weapons that had been affixed to his sides has caught on his black pants, pulling out a few threads.

"Well, I found Hyunjin's soul." Han muttered, wiping a little bit of black liquid off the corner of his mouth before she could tell what it was.

"And?" Bang Chan asked.

"I tried to pull it out, and it was all actually going pretty well. Unfortunately, the more unwrapped it got, the more agitated it was. I think once Y/N's soul reacted to her pain, it moved to protect her."

"I... how?" She asked. "Can it do that without Hyunjin telling it to?"

"The soul is, in essence, Hyunjin himself, so yes, it can. It's completely wrapped itself around your soul." He said with a sigh.

"What does that mean?" Minho growled. "You can't do it?"

"No," Han glared in return, "In fact, now that the whole thing is a consistent shape, it'll be easier to use as a method of tracking."

"Which is why he just beat the shit out of you." He muttered under his breath. Ignoring him, Han nodded to Chan as the archangel helped him up, folding his wings back into his body as Y/N watched with awe.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, waving a hand in front of her face and laughing. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Or an angel." He joked.

"Are you?" She said in response, laughing weakly as well.

"I'll be fine." He waved a hand. "I'll get him back for it later. Even if he didn't mean to." Thinking briefly, he posited, "At least we know that Seungmin would have trouble getting to your soul, even if he did manage to lay hands on you." That statement brought the reality of the situation crashing back to her, smile falling a little.

"Nice one." Minho muttered under his breath.

"Hey, what do you say you grab something to eat before we start to track Hyunjin? Wouldn't want you to go through an angel door without eating." She tilted her head.

"I would think that I'd want my stomach to be empty for that ride." She thought aloud. "And I thought angels didn't have to eat?" She asked.

"We don't." Chan said.

"But we can-" Han interjected with a protesting tone. "And I like to. So, let's go!" He walked over to her fridge, opening it up before she could stop him. "Damn, there's like, nothing in here. Don't you keep cake around?"

"Why would I have a cake?" She asked in confusion. It wasn't her birthday.

"Humans are so weird. Let's go out!"

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Changbin said, offering his first real hard opinion since she'd met him. "We don't know what's happening with Y/N's soul, your wings could pop out again, we all carry weapons, it's-"

"Aww, come on Changbin, don't be such a downer." Jisung rolled his eyes. "I'm metaphorically starving, and Y/N has to eat sometime. I know this really nice place, like ten minutes away, it's-"

"This isn't a game!" Minho argued. "We don't have a lot of time, and you're not being helpful."

"Calm down, you two." Chan said, feeling like he'd repeated himself for the hundredth time today, the millionth time this century. They eventually came to a compromise. It was too risky to go out all as a group and eat in a restaurant or anything, but they could go to the grocery store and pick up whatever they wanted so they could eat in privacy.

She definitely didn't want to go through an angel door for something so menial as a grocery run, so they settled for walking. Han was basically running his mouth about how he wanted to fly the whole time, at least until Felix mentioned that he thought walking had a certain charm about it. He reminisced about how when he first became a guardian angel, he had accidentally lost Y/N because he wasn't flying near enough by, so he resorted to walking next to her. Her face grew hot as she thought about all the dumb shit he must have witnessed her do. Shaking her head, she chose not to think about it anymore as they arrived at the store.

Chan looked mildly intrigued by everything, while Changbin was practically grabbing anything he could get his hands on to look at it or read the label. Apparently seraphims didn't get much time playing around with humans. Jisung and Minho were staring each other down out of the corners of their eyes, only breaking for the former to find a cheesecake he liked and the latter to run to the freezer section to grab a pint of strawberry ice cream. Angels also apparently loved desserts.

Once she and the other boys had grabbed what they wanted, she led them to the self-checkout register, already sighing internally at having to cover the costs of their little excursion. As she range everything up and pressed the pay button, though, Felix interrupted excitedly.

"Ooh! Chan! Do that thing that you can do!" Chan looked confused for a minute, before his eyes shifted.

"Oh, sure." Lifting up a hand, several high value bills appeared in his hand, with almost no transition, it was like they'd just... appeared. Looking at him in awe, she grabbed them, morbidly curious to see if the machine would accept them. To her surprise, it did, ringing her up and dumping out the change.

"People don't get suspicious of that?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, I don't really show it off." He laughed. "Plus, it was worse before. You should have seen the riot the first time Minho walked into a store and just... walked out with the stuff."

"I thought it was all free!!" Jisung mocked in a high pitched voice, earning himself a more-than-playful punch to the upper arm.

"Shut up."

"Let's get out of here before we cause a scene?" Chan offered, directing the group of practically-children out of the facility. They walked down the road to a nearby park, sitting atop a low rise brick wall to eat. Minho ate like an animal, shoving his face with as much as he could possibly fit at one time, causing her to roll her eyes. Jisung wasn't much better. Chan and Changbin were well composed enough, and Felix was barely touching his. Normally she'd attribute behavior like that to nausea, but that wouldn't exactly make sense in this situation.

"Y/N, can I try yours?" Jisung whined, already having finished his own food, looking over in hope.

"Hey, I'm the only one who actually has to eat," she joked. "Go get more if you need it!"

"Aww, come on, just a bite?"

"Fine." She relented, amused as he opened his mouth, waiting.

"What are you, a baby?" Minho grumbled. "I thought you were supposed to be some powerful soul-angel." His tone was scathe and mocking, but Jisung ignored him as she laughed, feeding him a bite off her spoon.

"Wait, that's actually really good." He said, eyes wide.

"Can I-"

"No." She smiled, "You said one bite." She took one herself as he lamented, actually considering going back into the store for more. Minho started bickering with him again, Chan intervening every now and then to settle their mini-fights. Looking over to her other side, Felix was still staring, silent.

"Hey, is everything okay?" She asked, sliding over so that they were closer together, creating a little bubble away from the group. He looked up, a bit startled by her seemingly sudden appearance.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good. Just thinking."

"...Okay." She said, not wanting to push him. "If there's anything you need to say, though, feel free to... you know. Talk." He looked at her for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

"Uh, alright... yeah, sure."

Go to Chapter 13

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nightonomy · 5 years

Text

The Final Show

Ship: Kaminari X Jirou from BNHA

Description: The final year at UA also concludes Jirou's band. With her music, can she reach Kaminari's heart with her final performance?

Author's words: I absolutely ADORE this ship! I regret making it long... I also uploaded it to my ao3 account, click here! I made a banner :P

Warnings: Cussing

-----------------------------------------------

Jirou was beyond ecstatic for her final year at UA! Especially since her goal at becoming a Pro Hero was just around the corner. Unfortunately, there were some obstacles that obscured her path.

For instance, every 3rd year student at UA had to decide their future. Such as going to college, joining an agency, finding mentors, and finding a trustworthy insurance company-- to fix any damage that might happen while working.

For Jirou, this was a walk in the park! She had planned-- months prior, that she was going to mentor under Present Mic before joining an agency.

Although she laid down her future path, Jirou was like any students in her year. Apprehensive. But not for the reason that you may think.

The purple-hair girl had started a band in the middle of her first year, that had grown sensationally! Reaching many thrilling hits and succeeding in several genres, Jirou was extremely proud to have been the leader.

But all of that was coming to an end.

Bakugou was going on to bigger and higher platforms that would no doubt, make him the number one hero; Yaoyoruzu was going to be a huge publicity hero and make herself known in the public eye; Tokoyami was going to train up in the mountains for years, before coming back into the city; and Kaminari? Well, the big doofus was going to join Kirishima and mentor under Fat Gum, who unfortunately had to put up with both of their stupidity.

These were all wonderful and exciting futures for her friends, but why did she feel sad?

Jirou was scribbling down lyric ideas into her notebook when suddenly, a body collided into her desk.

"Hey!"

"Ah! Sorry, Jirou!!" Kaminari grinned widely at her, before throwing another fake punch at Kirishima.

"Pshhhh... It isn't manly of you to disturb a lady while she's busy, Denki."

"Hah!" Kaminari landed a punch before Kirishima activated his hardening quirk. "It's not my fault! You're the one who push me into the desk!"

Jirou rolled her eyes at their bizarre antics and picked up her notebook, shuffling over to Yaoyoruzu's desk.

"They really do share one brain cell, huh, Momo?"

"Hm?" Yaoyoruzu barely lifted her head to greet Jirou, too engrossed in her own notebook to pay attention.

Jirou frowned. "Heeeeeeey, earth to Momo?"

As if on cue, the black-hair girl snapped out of her concentration and fully faced her friend with an apologetic smile.

"S-Sorry about that!! I really need to get more sleep these days..." Yaoyoruzu trailed off. She then shook her head once more and lifted up her notebook, showing a design of a hero suit.

"I was thinking about changing my costume," she said sheepishly. "Do you think this is too... girly?"

"Girly? It looks like a suit for an R-rated hero!Besides, aren't you going for PG13 at most?"

Yaoyoruzu nodded her head slowly in agreement, before clasping her hands together and thanking the purple-hair girl for her opinion.

"So! What did you need?"

Jirou opened her mouth to reply, but then the bell for class rang, and she quickly dived to her seat.

"Later." She mouthed.

- Time skip -

"Later" was a complete understatement. Usually for the soon-to-be hero, it meant "until lunch." But this time, this time, it meant "give me an entire week because people SERIOUSLY cannot get their shit done!"

For the entire week, Jirou was tasked with fixing her entire band! Even the words, "fixing up" was an understatement! She had to buy new supplies, get new wires, re-order speakers, re-edit the soundtracks, and find out why her online merchandise store was glitching.

But, by the end of the week, it was all finally fixed!

Jirou collapsed onto the dorm room's couch in pure exhaustion. Her body was sinking into the couch, sending her into bliss. Even her eyelids were on the brink of shutting! Dream land was just an arm length away. But unfortunately, her mind was bursting with ideas, each running frantically into different directions.

With a sigh, Jirou sat up and searched through her backpack.

"Ah hah! There you are!" With a delighted smile, the purple-head slammed down the notebook onto the coffee table and turned to an unfinished song.

"Hm? What did you find, Jirou?"

In an instance, the girl shrieked and threw the notebook across the room. She then turned around and strained a grin at the person behind her.

It was Kaminari.

"Oh... Hey Kaminari! What's up?" Jiroy twirled the dangling part of her ear and fluttered her eyelashes. Hopefully the dunce part of his brain will kick in...

With a raised eyebrow, Kaminari walked over to the thrown notebook and picked it up. "So... am I not supposed to ask why you just freaked out? Or should I stay silent?"

As he was about the hand back the notebook, Kaminari conveniently looked down and noticed the unfinished song. "Hm? What's thi- hey!"

Jirou had hastily grabbed her notebook from the yellow-head and turned away, a blush forming on her cheeks. Please tell me he didn't read it...

"It's nothing! Just a list of agencies I was looking into..."

"You know," Kaminari said slowly. He then placed a hand on the Jirou's shoulder. "Fat-Gum was looking to find another student... preferably a female." He chuckled.

Jirou blinked. "Wha-"

"Anyways, it would be nice to be partners with you again... but this time in crime!"

Partners in crime. The words stayed glued to her conscious as Jirou quickly walked away. It was a good title.

"Yeah... sure... I uh... have things to do! Don't be late to practice and I'll see you tomorrow! Good night!"

"Okay! Good night, Jirou! Think about it, would yeah?"

Jirou walked away without a reply and the open she reached her room, she had slammed shut the door behind her and grabbed the nearest guitar.

Playing a couple cords, her heart returned back to it's original beat and Jirou leaned her head back, deep in thought. The song was close to finish-- all it needed was a title and an ending verse.

But, it wasn't the fact that one of her band members saw an original-- because that was a petty thing to get angry over. It was because the person who she wanted to dedicate everything to, saw it. The one person who made her panick with a red face and a heart that beat 1 million beats a minute, read it. That was almost as bad as fighting All Might face to face!

Hopefully things will get better. Jirou thought.

Hopefully.

- Time Skip -

That fucking, son of a bitch, mother fucking of a Pikachu, deserves death. No, no, no. The dunce didn't deserve death, he deserved a thousand years of hunger and agonizing pain!

Jirou stomped into her room and slammed the door shut. She grabbed the nearest guitar and strung a note with so much furry, the sound vibrated for minutes. After a while, the note died down and so did the purple-head's anger.

She was infuriated at none other, than Kaminari. Who, conveniently was being a huge piece of shit these last few weeks.

For example, three weeks ago Jirou declared for the band to practice one last time before heading back to the dorm room. Usually, this meant to go all out and don't. Hold. Back.

Who would have thought that Kamin fucking Nari decided to actually go all out??

"Okay, guys! One last practice and then we can all head back home!" Jirou had declared proudly. For her, these practices meant a time to rejuvenate and connect to music, passionately. "One, two three-"

All of a sudden, the speakers had blasted music that made everyone fall to the floor, clutching their ears in pain.

It was the sound of a guitar.

"WHAT THE FUCK, KAMINARI?!"

"YOU WANNA FUCK???" Kaminari gave a playful-wide grin at Jirou and continued with his charade.

She became bright-burning red with embarrassment. As she scrambled up the turn off the speaker, Jirou had listed 100 different ways the kill Kaminari. Scratch that, 1 million!

The purple-head had successfully turned off the speaker and turned towards the blonde, "OUT!"

Thinking back to this time, Jirou regretted the way she acted. After all, it wasn't Kaminari or Jirou's fault for their actions.

They-- including all of the 3rd years, were all incredibly stressed out with studying for their finals and college entrance exams. That including rigorous training and last minute plans for the future.

Jirou pulled out a song labeled, "Hopefully Partners." She had finished it a couple weeks back, but never had the time to play it. It was, after all, a song she dedicated for Kaminari.

He had been the one to encourage Jirou to make the band, created the name, and made her life rotate around his words. He was the only one who had done anything for her, out of pure kindness.

Picking up her guitar, she strung a chord.

"Electric waves are dancing. Oh yeah. Dancing around you, babe." She took a deep breath, "The thumping beat of thunder, is creating a symphony that makes me think, will this all fade?"

Jirou stopped after. This is super cheesy... With a shake of her head and a smile, she picked up her phone and diled Yaoyoruzu's number. If she was going to sing this song, then she better get practicing.

- Time Skip -

"Jirou... what are you wearing?!"

The girl in question turned around, confused. "What do you mean?"

Yaoyoruzu sighed and exclaimed, "This is a monstrosity! How are you supposed to go onstage with this... this horror?!" She waved arms up and down, pointing out all the flaws of the dress.

This was their very last performance. After tonight, the band was just another prominent figure in history. They had all played several songs before this, but performance was special.

Jirou had called the manager to schedule a secret show, dedicated to Kaminari-- who was going to be in the crowd, oblivious and certainly living up to his nickname.

"Momo, it doesn't look that bad,"

Rolling her eyes, Yaoyoruzu grabbed the purple-head by the ear and shoved her to the nearest changing room. "This is why I bring extra clothes! You're going to look absolutely fabulous tonight!"

Groaning, Jirou shook her head and slipped into the outfit. She was then pulled into a chair while Yaoyoruzu did her makeup. All when having to hear the black-hair girl exclaim how much of a disappointment Jirou was.

"And done! What do you think?"

She stood up and walked over to the nearest full-body mirror. The dress came down, mid-way to her thigh, and it was similar what she wore to I-Expo. Except, it had black-dark clouds on her chest, then a sunset color bow on her stomach, and then purple and yellow lighting strikes going all the way down.

She was in awe.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we actually have one last performance from your beloved band! As an apology for this long and late night, drinks and appetizers will be free!"

Jirou snapped out and quickly gave Yaoyoruzu a hug, whispering a thank you into her ear.

"Please don't thank me," Yaoyoruzu giggled, "Thank your terrible fashion skills. Now come on, we have a show to preform!"

Jirou shook her head in laughter and together, they went on stage.

The bright lights hit her in the eyes, blinding her from the crowd. She walked over to the microphone, guitar in hand.

"Uh..." she turned around and faced her friends with a smile. "I would first like to thank my amazing band members for pushing through these last three years, my classmates for attending every show, and all of you for encouraging us every night."

She blinked.

"But I would like to thank everything to Kaminari Denki. This song is for you!"

With that, she strung her guitar and the lyrics poured out of her like water. Every note-- every word fit in like pieces of a puzzle. The music flew through the crowd, entrancing them in a slumber that made them lean in for more.

The song was three minutes long, but for Jirou, it was as long as ten seconds. As the last note played, she bowed. There was so much more that she wanted to say. There was so much more songs that she wanted to make and preform.

A bitterness filled her heart as she walked off stage, but then a thought occured to her. Jirou ran back, bumping into the backstage members and hastily grabbed the microphone.

"I LOVE YOU, YOU STUPID PIKACHU!"

Jirou was pulled off stage by embarrassed backstage members and she was carried over to Yaoyoruzu, who gave them a sympathetic smile.

"That was... really amazing of you, Jirou."

Jirou froze in her tracks. Her blood rushed to her head, her muscles screamed at her to run, but her feet stayed rooted to her spot.

"S-shut up... Kaminari."

Yaoyoruzu, who felt extremely awkward gave Jirou a pat and gave hand signals to everyone to leave them.

"Ugh. Just get a room, jeez." A girl-- around Jirou's age muttered while passing by them. The words only made her burn like lava.

"Wh-what do you want?"

Kaminari hummed, amused by the girl's mortification. "I was thinking.. how about going to the park?"

"What?" Jirou whispered.

"I kind of... planned something tonight, as well." Kaminsri stated, also embarrassed. He then held out his hand. "Wanna go?"

Jirou reached out, but then retreated a bit in hesitation. Was she really willing to go out with the biggest idiot in Japan?

"F-fine."

Unfortunately, Jirou was looking at the ground as Kamianri led them to the park, because she didn't notice the adorable grin that spread across his cheeks.

The lamps lit the path and as they neared their destinations Jirou couldn't help but let out a suprise gasp. Kaminari-- with help by all their friends, had decked out the park like a full on love paradise.

There were fairy lights and lanterns that hung from tree to tree, heart shaped balloons that twirled in the wind, and even sprinkled rose petals on the gravel path.

If this was extravagant, then Jirou didn't know what else to call the next biggest suprise of the night. Because at the center, there stood an ice gazebo with the most romantic dinner laid out.

"You're going to attract flies, Jirou." Kaminari chuckled.

Jirou immediately shut her mouth and playfully smacked him. "S-shut up."

As they both sat down to eat, the atmosphere changed. Their normal, playful chatter that consisted of pure stupidity filled the night's air, and if you recorded their conversation, it would sound like a quarrel between a squirrel and a chipmunk.

"So," Electric boy placed his utensils down and scratched the back of his head. "I've been meaning to tell you something for a long time..."

Jirou looked up and as if a boulder was in her throat, she swallowed. "Yeah?"

"Jirou... no, scratch that. Kyouka-- wait, can I call you Kyouka??"

"Sure...?" This wasn't the first time Pikachu boy had said her name. But, the tingling senses in her heart definitely hadn't happen the last time.

Kaminari coughed. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

His gaze penetrated hers. There was no laughter, no sense of playfulness that usually surrounded Kaminari. Hi eyes that was usually bright and cheerful, was filled with a serious glint that was as hard as steel. The pounding in the poor girl's heart had increased three times it's usual beat, but she couldn't care less.

"HAH! Stop joking around Pikachu! You seriously need-"

"I'm serious."

The cherry blossoms that surrounded them, swayed to the wind, creating a beautiful scene that surrounded Jirou's vision. As if it were possible, the dunce head in front of her looked truly handsome.

She smiled. "Fine. But then I get to call you Pikabae."

Kaminari burst out of his seat and with a quick swoop, picked up the magnificent girl in front of him. "You can call me whatever you want. As long as your mine!"

They both laughed, eyes twinkling beneath the starry night. Kaminari slowly set her down, but his arms never left her waist. They were centimeters apart, and if Jirou wanted to, she could close the gap.

And she did.

#jirou kyouka #mha jirou #bnha jirou #kaminari x jirou #kamijirou #kaminari denki #mha kaminari #bnha kaminari #mha denki #bnha denki #denki #bnha fanfiction #bnha #mha fanfiction #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero acadamy #my hero academia

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darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts · 5 years

Text

Devil’s Temptation pt10

Warnings: Mob Styling Warlords, strong language

Masterlist

---

Chapter 10 – Déjà vu

He heard the noise ahead of him as he managed to bring his car under control before it became engulfed in the chaos in front of him. A plume of smoke appeared from out of seemingly nowhere and he felt his heart jump into his throat. [Name]… No!

The other cars around him had either turned around to leave or were being abandoned as people tried to get signals on cell phones to call in the emergency. The activity around him was a blur he didn’t even process as he left his car and walked into the billowing smoke. Gunshots? The sound had his feet moving a little faster. He smiled wryly to himself. Usually, people try to avoid them and yet here you have me running into a gunfight once more… what a troublesome little mouse.

He just turned the corner of the tunnel when he saw the silhouette in the smog. The person he was looking for was actually coming to him. The concrete walls echoed and flashed as a bullet grazed them.

“Eek!” Her cry reached him, that short outburst drawing him to her just as effectively as if she had placed a leash around his neck and pulled it. My sweet innocent little thing. You truly have no luck.

“We always seem to meet when it’s raining bullets.” He couldn’t help himself she looked too good to be true. She turned sharply towards him as soon as she appeared to get a clear view of him her eyes went wide. She hadn’t changed. His heartbeat picked up in his chest as her beautiful blue eyes locked on his.

All colour drained from her and he barely had time to reach her side preventing her total collapse as he caught her in his arms. Her warmth spread like a wildfire through him, everywhere on him that touched her felt like it was somehow burning. She really is like the sun. Well, that could have gone better. Don’t worry my dear I’ll look after you. Scooping her up in his arms he carried her back to his car and placed her gently in the passenger seat.

---

“I’m telling you I had no idea that that was what that did.” Masa professed as he walked along behind a sullen and frustrated Ieyasu in the corridor.

“Did you even read the label before you decided to use it?” Ieyasu’s cross-examination was on a level with one of Yoshi’s lectures. Who in their right mind randomly uses an experimental cream and doesn’t check labels?

“I was in a hurry. I thought it said for burns.” Masa reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. Cradling his elbow that was now covered in the correct treatment.

“It said it causes burns.” Ieyasu scolded. The shorter man came to an abrupt stop directly in front of Masa causing him to bump into his back.

“Hey watch it!”

“Well, what did you…?”

Both men watched Mitsuhide pass by just a little ahead of them. He was carrying the prone figure of what appeared to be a small female in his arms princess style. His dark suit looked like it had gone through a cloud of dust and the girls cream dress looked just as bad.

“Is that the Lass?” Masa watched Mitsuhide in his Princely act move towards the private apartments. “What do you think he did?”

“It’s Mitsuhide. I don’t think I want to know.” Ieyasu looked as if he was contemplating something before, he changed direction and started walking towards the underground car park.

“What are you doing now?” Masa called out as he followed.

“I’m checking the car.”

---

A soft light fell on her eyelids as her consciousness began to process itself. The feeling of soft fabric under her hands as she stretched in order to wake up. What a terrible dream… Her eyes fluttered open and fell on an unfamiliar ceiling. The light that should have been from a large skylight was coming from a pair of balcony windows. The bed she was on was not hers and as she looked around with a start, she began to remember things.

Nothing in this room has changed. Wait am I still dreaming? [Name] pinched her arm hard. “Ouch!” Ok, so I’m not dreaming. How did I get back here though? I didn’t… I didn’t really see him, did I? I mean I heard his voice… I thought I felt him too, his scent… Did I go completely mad now? Climbing out of bed she tentatively walked around the apartment looking at all the familiar things.

It had been years and yet every night she still managed to travel back here in her dreams. She still could remember all the guys and the fun… well fun when she wasn’t being taken somewhere by Nobu. It’s funny though looking back now even times spent with Nobu had been sort of fun. Was this what they called rose-tinted vision? Maybe it was some sort of Stockholm syndrome? Whatever the reason it was oddly nostalgic.

She was back in Azuchi, she knew that much. The view from the window was a completely different sector of the city. These rooms were the ones she had used when she was last here. It felt as if it was a giant time capsule. Not one thing had changed, well the linen on the bed had but everything else was exactly the same. This is so weird. As if on cue to make her realise this was not a dream her stomach gave a grumble. That’s right I hadn’t eaten anything because we never made it to that restaurant. I wonder… Placing on hand on the main door’s handle she tested it. No way! It’s unlocked? I guess I can go and find food then… if I can remember where everything is.

---

She didn’t have to wonder too hard about if she could remember things here or not. How often had she wandered these halls in her memories looking for that one person she knew was not here anymore? Her feet carried her straight to the dining room. After cracking open the door to peer inside she half expected it to be empty… or for her to finally wake up. Like those dreams where you are falling and you suddenly jolt back to reality just as you impact on the ground.

“[Name]? So good to see you again.” The tinkling bell of Mitsunari’s bright voice found her as soon as her eyes made contact with the group of men gathered in the dining room.

Food had been set out except it was nothing like the welcoming party she remembered. Platters of food lined up the full length of the main table in its centre. Places had been set around the table fairly informally. If anything this looked like the dinner table for any normal large family.

“This can’t be happening.” With a voice full of wonder she looked around the room at everything. It’s all still the same, and all of you are too.

“Why don’t you come in Kitten? Foods good. You can trust me on that.” Masa slid to her side putting an arm around her shoulder to guide her in further.

“Again, with the Kitten thing?... Although that does look good.” [Name] shrugged off the arm before shaking her head as if to shake off a spell after looking at the food. No, I can’t get distracted by this right now no matter how hungry I am. “What the hell is going on!?”

“[Name] don’t shout.” Hideyoshi sympathized with her obvious confusion with everything as it appeared, she was yet again up to her neck in something once more. But it didn’t stop him from chiding her on her volume.

“Sh-shout? Of course, I’m going to shout. Who wouldn’t?”

“You are as loud as ever.” Ieyasu sighed but it was clear he too felt something towards her and current circumstances as well.

“I wasn’t aware I asked your opinion on appropriate volume, Prickle Puff.” [Name] all but sneered out her reply. None of this was making sense to her. And it was just Ieyasu’s misfortune that he was the one that spoke last and it drew all her focus to him.

“Prickle Puff!?” Ieyasu bristled with indignation whilst Masa and Hideyoshi struggled to prevent him from rounding on the girl and suppress their own laughter at the name calling.

The doors opened at the other end of the room and the familiar figure of Nobunaga entered. His usual air of imperial superiority cutting the atmosphere successfully. A pale shadow at his back as he entered the room made her blood boil and freeze at the same time. He’s here? I wasn’t dreaming? He’s… wait I’m the only one shocked by this?

“Ah, you’re awake Fireball.” Nobu acknowledged her presence as he loved to the sideboard that was piled high with the deserts. Ignoring him,[Name] brushed right past him and right up to Mitsuhide, a loud resonating crack rang out in the room. Not one of the men present made a move to restrain her as she stood there her hand still raised after making contact with Mitsuhide’s face.

“I suppose I deserved that.” Mitsuhide’s head twisted with the impact, a red handprint blooming on his porcelain skin. The very edge of his lip looked like it was starting to be dyed slightly with fresh blood.

“Oh my god, you’re real?” Her fingers clenched and her arm recoiled. If anything was going to convince her that this was not a dream it was the feeling of making contact with the man she only ever saw in her dreams.

“Of course, I am my dear. Or perhaps you usually go around slapping people you believe to be fictitious?” Mitsuhide’s composure was infuriating. Within seconds he had pulled himself together and looked completely unaffected. You know its faces like that that make me want to smack you again… and harder.

“Don’t My Dear me! You did deserve that… in fact, you are lucky I don’t have something I can kill you with right now.” When he looked into her eyes like that she felt like she would be completely lost. The only option she had for not losing herself or her own thoughts right now was to keep pushing forward with her first reactions. I can’t let myself get lost in this. I can’t forget what has been done.

“Can we calm down?” Hideyoshi finally attempted to bring the confrontation into some sort of control whilst the others remained quiet either in their own form of shock or out of amusement.

“No, we can’t “calm” anything. I… I can’t believe this. You knew… You all knew and not one of you said a damn thing to me.” [Name] was trembling as she tumbled through her thoughts attempting to put them into words. I can’t cry. I can’t let them see me cry.

---

After the second set of doors opened to the dining room it was obvious something was different. The meeting between Nobu and himself had taken a little longer than planned, but he didn’t expect to see her in the room when he arrived. There you are, my dear. Thank god you don’t look too bad for your ordeal.

“Ah, you’re awake Fireball.” Nobu gave a short greeting as he went predictably for the desserts. There he is ladies and gentleman the unifier of the city. The man who is incredibly focused and possesses a formidable amount of single-minded determination… unless there is a tray of eclairs.

[Name] brushed past Nobu and drifted right up to him. The dress she was still wearing floated around her as she moved making her look like some sort of magical creature. You really are… - SMACK! - Angry… extremely furious. The sound of her hit turned the others in the room into living statues.

“I suppose I deserved that.” His head moved with the force of the hit. The stinging sensation of a thousand little needles on his flesh meant he could feel every bit of the impact and he couldn’t help but smile as he realised his lip was broken. The metallic tang on his tongue made the creature in his blackened soul purr. More… No, Patience.

“Oh my god, you’re real?” She exclaimed as if she was coming out of a daze. Her delicate hand folded tight before withdrawing to her side. Those eyes. The big blue magnetic orbs drew him in. How many times have I dreamt of those eyes?

“Of course, I am my dear. Or perhaps you usually go around slapping people you believe to be fictitious?” Mitsuhide schooled his face. He couldn’t help the smile, at this point, it was a bad habit and something slightly out of his control. But there was no hiding the burning he felt rising within him. It was creeping up his back, clawing at him. The twisted darkness that lived inside him. She unlocked it so easily. Do you know you have this control over me, little one? Perhaps not. Oh, but my, those honest expressions are… delicious.

“Don’t My Dear me! You did deserve that… in fact, you are lucky I don’t have something I can kill you with right now.” Her eyes were swimming. The depth of her unspoken torment made them look like bottomless caverns and god how he would have loved nothing more than to just dive right in and never resurface. She made him feel like this. She made him feel so alive. The emotions he locked up all those he had hidden away and ignored all of them were blissfully abundant in her presence.

“Can we calm down?” Hideyoshi was the first of the statues to attempt to speak. Her spell broke as she turned away from him and Mitsuhide remembered the others in the room. The amusement playing out on Nobu’s silent face was annoying although Mitsuhide could not deny that if the roles were reversed, he would not find enjoyment in the same thing. The rest all looked shocked. No not shocked. Hurt? Guilty? Why?

“No, we can’t “calm” anything. I… I can’t believe this. You knew… You all knew and not one of you said a damn thing to me.” [Name]’s voice was not the only thing that seemed to waver as she spoke her whole body was trembling. This is painful to witness but I… I can’t look away. You are so captivating my dear. So beautiful right in this very moment.

“[Name] we were as much in the dark on his scheme as you were.”

“That’s right we didn’t find out until after the funeral.”

“But you found out! You all found out. You knew how hurt I was. How I felt. How I blamed myself for everything that had happened. You all let me continue thinking that… even after you all knew better. You let me think that he was dead and it was all my fault!” Her words cut like daggers into each of them.

Her justifiable angry and rage was like something you would read about in religious texts. What was it they called that? Righteous fury? Oh, and she was all that and so much more. But she believed that? She felt all that all this time? I only ever… everything I did I did for you. I never wanted to hurt you. I am a fool… [Name] stormed out of the room slamming the door behind her as she went no one tried to stop her. Hell, hath no fury. Oh, my poor sweet little mouse… what have I done?

---

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seotipsandtricks-me · 5 years

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Five Critical Steps to Maximise SEO, Shopper Engagement and the Customer Journey in eCommerce Retail

eCommerce marketers know that there’s no magic bullet to success. When you’re managing a wide range of product categories and dozens, hundreds or even thousands of SKUs, you need to manage your strategy – and time – carefully and focus in on the most profitable approaches. The most effective brands are able to join up their SEO initiatives with the content they use to engage shoppers while guiding site visitors towards a purchase through customer journey management and conversion rate optimisation. In this guide I’ve outlined what we at Blueclaw have proven to be some of the most critical steps to increasing eCommerce sales. Conversion rate optimisation and managing the customer journey from search to sale isn’t just about technical performance – the goal for eCommerce brands should be to drive action by creating a user experience that is integrated, seamless and makes life easy for the customer. The five critical steps we’ll detail are as follows: Search is your best friend – from search engines to on-site search functionality Trust + connection = loyalty Don’t be afraid to use industry standards Present a goal, create a strategy, test, develop, repeat The positive power of failure So – let’s get started! 1. Search is your best friend – from search engines to on-site search functionality SEO is fundamentally about intent. Potential shopper who land on your site after making a search by definition have something they’re interested in finding. That may be information about products or trends, or a more specific desire to purchase. A joined-up SEO and CRO strategy will anticipate (where possible) the intent behind each top search, and aim to make sure that the most meaningful page is the one that visitors encounter first. Prior to being on your site, they will have a mental model of what they expect, what they’re looking for and how to find it – way before they even landed on your site. In eCommerce, choice is often abundant and presenting a first-time visitor with the product that perfectly matches what they had in mind when typing in ‘party dress’ or ‘mom jeans’ is pretty unlikely. Part of the solution, is making sure that there is a readily accessible, usable and (most importantly) effective on-site product search function to help visitors find their own way to their ideal product. Econsultany found that on-site search allows users to convert 1.8x more and generate between 13.8%-40% in revenue, and for fashion sites these are even higher… not rookie numbers at all! On-site search is about making the user travel across your site fast and easily with the intent that they know what they are after and once they have found what they are looking for you can cross-sell and provide a better experience, thus convert! It basically allows the intent of the user to be influenced and convert more. Most eCommerce sites will have an on-site search function – but it’s all about how valuable it is to shoppers, and how immediately usable it is to encourage them to use it at all. Remember, the figures above are only for shoppers who made use of a search function – not just sites that offered one. At Blueclaw we advise that the search functionality is capable of finding product names, model/item numbers, product suggestions and predictions, spelling correction and contain an expansive library of terms for products e.g. “hair dryer” and “blow dryer”, the ability to include symbols or abbreviations and even base the searches on foundations of contextual filters. Search functionality should be thought of as an important tool with its own potential for optimisation as part of the wider user journey. Make onsite search functionality visible, and give it importance on every page with a clear and easy to use search button – if the visitor has to squint to see your page’s tiny magnifying glass symbol clear it’s not going to be used – and you’re not guiding the user towards the best way to navigate your site. Include breadcrumbs so the user doesn’t get lost as they search through your site, make it clear what they are searching for and take advantage of the “no-result-found” page and present possible solutions or suggestions. 2. Trust + Connection = Loyalty With around 20% to 50% of all conversions bring driven by testimonials and word of mouth, it’s so important to collect as much useful user feedback as possible! This is called “Social Proofing” and can be more important than low prices in influencing customers’ decisions. Fred Reichheld’s book The Ultimate Question states that “businesses had on average 2x the revenue increase by simply increasing their overall brand advocacy by only 12%”. Adding to this argument, Google’s Zero Moment of Truth report found that the average consumer used around 10.4 difference sources to influence them before converting. So you can see how important real people’s opinions of products are. Simply adding these to your site can easily increase sales and demonstrate trust throughout, making the customer feel involved and giving them a voice. This in turn can help you gather insight and develop your brand further and create solid value proposition. To further this, integrate your social platforms into CRO and allow customers to buy on any platform. Engagement is key, so if customers engage more on Instagram, for example, having them be able to purchase the products there can easily increase revenue. This can happily save you money on social ads and saves the user time and effort. Companies such as ORO LA saw a 29.3 % lift in their month-over month revenue directly from this! Another form of trust is making the switch from HTTP to HTTPS. This allows Google to mark sites with an SSL Certificate and label the site secure. eCommerce sites that produce the dredded “not secure” warning run the risk of massive drop off and loss in revenue. Include secure badges in checkouts and within the footer to instill a visual trust with the customer as this demonstrates your authority and how the customers’ data is safe with them. 3. Don’t be afraid to use industry standards Potential shoppers arrive on your site with preconceived ideas of how to navigate it based on all of the time they’ve spent on other people’s sites. They travel the web, gaining experience, learning visual cues and understand the conventions of the web. So when it comes to design, you shouldnt be afraid of taking inspiration from industry leaders and adapting them to your own brand. To put it simply, most people don’t like change. This is where a fantastic, beautiful and innovative site design can really fall short. Users get used to a certain journey and it helps them be less confused and causes less conflict. Compare your site with competitors, test your site and see where friction occurs, understand how mobile and desktop conversion can be different. Ask questions of the functionality, seek improvements and see the wins! Of course there are exceptions to the rule but sometimes forms of innovation can be risky. But sure to slowly test these and see if your audience can navigate and use your site well or better than you hoped for. 4. Present a goal, create a strategy, test, develop, repeat Just like your customers and users, you as a business have goals, targets, ideals and values. These are things you wish to hit and surpass and hopefully learn from. The best tip here is to take care of the “low hanging fruit” first. Focus on the smaller changes that are obvious to create the biggest rewards. To do this, you will want to make small changes, carry out A/B testing and analyse the results from your conversion rates. Of course, you will want to increase the value to the customer too as this is a service you are providing. The usual process is: Research – identify areas of improvement. Hypothesis – construct a theory/idea. Prioritisation – order what you feel are the easy, quick wins compared to longer-term, big wins. Testing – conduct a testing method. Learn – analyse data and move forward. If you want to learn more, VWO has an excellent article that goes more into depth on this. Examples of testing are: A/B Testing: A true classic of the CRO world. Basically put, it’s about coming up with an idea, creating a control sample and putting it against a variant sample and seeing which does better. This is generally element based; maybe it’s a classic, but it can also be a fairytale, so make sure you test for long enough or the changes you make will be low impact. Multi-Variate Testing: This is like A/B testing but works on the page as a whole. This involves testing lots of different elements on one page and seeing its conversion rate. Questions to ask to inform your strategy include – What page did users convert on? What page did users come from? Which ad did users click on to reach the landing page? What device was used when the conversion happened? What demographic data do you have about the user? Why was the user looking for your service/product? What do we know about why the user originally decide to visit your site? Why did the user choose to engage with your content? Why did the user choose your brand specifically? Some ecommerce companies make the mistake of putting all their effort into just generating more traffic and not into what they are going to do with that traffic. Chris Rourke, CEO of User Vision cautions against coming to the wrong conclusions as a result of A/B testing; “If you want to know which of 2 versions of the same page / process works best, AB testing can work really well assuming that you get sufficient traffic to base any analysis on, so that you have apply statistics and ensure that the differences are statistically significant. Sites such as Amazon can get sufficient traffic to robust statistics in a few hours – your site may not be able to. The other thing to consider is that you need to create the options / hypotheses to be tested – those ideally should be based on insights from users and jot just guesswork of what you think will work best. For that reason it is not always the best for finding out what users want – you may find that B converts better than A but you’ve no idea what C D etc could look like since it is only comparing options not understanding what other aspect may work for the situation which can be uncovered through other forms of research.” As markets get ever more competitive, it makes sense to make the most of the traffic you already receive allow take steps to get a greater proportion of revenue from existing visitors. – but analysis must be carried out in a robust and realistic way to develop robust conclusions and commercial outcomes. At Blueclaw we recommend building out knowledge through use of freely available tools, to develop a greater understanding of your current situation and indicative opportunities. Using tools like Google Optimize (which is free) or Google Analytics can be a great start to track your progress in conversion rates. Quick wins to get the process moving would include: Technical optimisation of the site: Compressing images, minifying code and scripts etc can increase the speed of your site. With first impressions being made so quickly, your site needs to be faster than the competition – and this is as much for CRO reasons as SEO reasons. There are many ways to reduce the page load time on your ecommerce site, including: Compressing and reducing image file sizes Leveraging a Content Delivery Network (CDN) Minifying or improving HTML, JavaScript, and CSS on your site Optimising for the Mobile-First Index: With more and more users using their smaller devices for basically running their life, it’s ridiculous to ignore the opportunities that mobile first thinking and design hold. This isn’t just having a responsive site, this is knowing why they are using their mobile and what they want from it. Wording of CTAs: In your head, use “I want to….” before your CTA title to make things clearer for the user to see if it makes sense. Placement of reviews and testimonials: Placement of elements in general is important, but including the social proof that is needed for generating sales is key. Make sure it’s close to the product description and the CTA is close by – and test to see if its usage can be improved by altering the placement or design. Make key elements more pronounced: Showing the number of contents in the basket, increasing the size of the search box and checkout CTA etc can help dramatically in increasing conversion – at every step we need to make life easy for customers, because it’s already easy for them to visit a competitor. Add progress bars to the checkout process and test what you need: This will help with the progressive disclosure – getting the data you need iteratively – and help make things simpler for the user. Rework descriptions by including social proofing: Try to include reworded reviews in your descriptions. This is content focusing on what the user actually wants and not a load of self-promotional content that doesn’t resonate or build confidence in your products. 5. The positive power of failure So you analysed your collected data and you came up with a perfect idea to increase conversion. You put it to the test in an A/B environment and sadly the control test won. Well, what now? You gather the information, analyse it, cross reference it with the original data and learn from it. Sadly not all tests are going to go your way, and it’s unrealistic to suggest you can automatically increase CRO overnight. CRO is a long process, with ups and downs, and lots of learning and understanding. It takes a team to develop both small and big wins. Remember, it’s really not about reaching your goal, it’s about that journey. Combine your own findings with others, become lean and design around this, the possible user improvement, and the business goals at hand. Test small changes that turn into big improvements to see their full impact and continue to fail if needs be. It’s about learning, finding out what your audience wants and needs, and seeing what you can do to build value, trust and a seamless path to a purchase. Summary Conversion rate optimisation and customer journey management isn’t just about increasing conversions, it also means a better user experience from search, all the way through to purchase. Taking each opportunity to implicitly and explicitly empathise with the customer and their requirements while removing barriers and providing a clear path to purchase will lead to a better site, and a better place to browse. When thinking about conversion rate optimisation, behaviour testing and analytics it’s important to emphasise that customers are people – not just data points. The goal is not to manipulate users but a way to connect more effectively with them, and through making the experience objectively better, achieve higher rates of conversion and revenue. It’s the very definition of a win-win. Interested in taking your CRO, SEO and digital experience strategy further? Talk to the Blueclaw team for straightforward tips, industry insight and support today. The post Five Critical Steps to Maximise SEO, Shopper Engagement and the Customer Journey in eCommerce Retail appeared first on Blueclaw.

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sepiadice · 5 years

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Art Direction of Tabletop RPGs

Dungeons and Dragons is good at being Dungeons and Dragons.

That shouldn't be a controversial opinion, and it's not worded as one, yet I have one friend who derisively labels it as a war game, and another friend who believes D&D is all you need in regards to TRPGs. These two are from distinct eras of my life, and have never met.[1]

My moderate view is such: Dungeons and Dragons is good. It's not the ultimate system, but if you want a western fantasy built on the framework of Tolkien, Fifth Edition is the way to go. You could use a different system, in theory, but no other system has the same reach and stability. Everyone knows D&D, which is valuable.

Its combat and mechanics are a good balance of grit and function, and it's mostly teachable. My friend's 'wargaming' derision is because he believes it doesn't support role-playing well. Something about the guy who wrote Dungeon World saying if it's not in the rules, it’s not in the game.[2] But I've always felt that D&D makes the right decision in not bogging it down with structure and dictating the 'correct' way to role-play.

However, if you want to do anything else (Sci-fi, non-european fantasy, superheroes, Slice of Life), best case scenario the seams will creak in the attempt. D&D is good at being D&D, and that's the limit.

I appreciate D&D. I'll play D&D, happily!

There's a reason I bristle when “DM” is used as the generic term.

That said, I've always had a sort of tonal disconnect when I play D&D, and it's because of the art.

Fair warning, what follows is a lot of personal interpretations and vague mumbling trying to relay a point. I’m not actually an authority on anything.

(Dungeons & Dragons owned by Wizard of the Coast . Image sourced from Wikipedia)

Dungeons and Dragons does not have pretty art. It’s technically well done, and far from ugly, but it’s not actually inspiring. Above we have the cover of the Player’s Handbook, the first thing most new players see. Setting aside that the focus of the cover art for what should be the book about Player Characters is a giant monster man[4], the cover is very orange. The actual people are composed of muted, neutral colors, and the background is vague and out of focus.

It’s not really conveying an air of fantastic worlds and larger-than-life characters (giant wearing a dragon skeleton aside). It coveys oppression, monotony, and “realism”.

(Pathfidner owned by Paizo. Image sourced from Wikipedia)

Pathfinder’s core rulebook, on the other hand, is colorful. Look at that big, bright dragon![5] Sensibly dressed Fighter Man’s brown clothes are still bright enough to pop him out from the green-grey dungeon background[6], and Fantastic Sorceress’s red dress is also bright and helps frame the Fighter as her hand glows with magic.

While both covers feature a woman with an orb of magic, D&D’s cover shows magic as contained and lighting a small space, while Pathfinder’s magic is big and trailing, hinting at movement.

Actually, D&D’s mage girl doesn’t have a cohesive movement. Is she falling from above? Jumping in from the left? Where is she going? It doesn’t really follow in a meaningful way.

Anyways: color. Yes, yes, I know the plague of brown and and muted tones is a much whined about criticism, and it might seem odd from someone calling himself SepiaDice, but neutral tones have their place; usually as background and supporting other colors to pop more.

Besides, Sepia has a noble history in film, the brown range isn’t a common image color, and Sepia is fun to say.[7]

Color choice is very important. Bright colors draw the eye and make visuals more distinctive. Bright colors also denote and bring energy to things. Dull colors are used for locations meant to be calm and sedate. If you want the characters and locations to seem fun and full of life, you fill it with bright colors.

Everything breaths, adventure can strike at anytime!

Dull colors, and it’s hibernation. People are around, but they don’t seem to enjoy it.

But let’s turn to the visual storytelling: what does each cover tell you about life in their setting?

D&D: lots of posing to look fancy, but there’s no real sense of energy. Jumpy Magerson’s weird Megaman hop has been mentioned, of course. The Giant has a look of dull surprise as he drops Jumpy Magerson,[8] as he holds a sword in the non-active hand. Foreground fencer man is wide open, holding his own foil up and away from where it might accidentally jab anyone. The locations is… orange? Looks like there might be lava geysers?

Patherfinder: A dragon roars at its enemies! Teeth bared, tongue coiled, tendons on display! Wings unfurled to make it seem larger! The fighter is yelling back at the dragon, his weapons mid-swing! Shoulder forwards to defend the rest of the body! The Sorceress is holding a firm stance as she casts a spell that crackles with arcane energy!

Pathfinder’s cover tells a story of epic combat, fizzly magic, and energy. D&D’s cover tells a story of two adventurers existing in a space also occupied by a giant.

Now, both of these systems have the same ancestry, as Pathfinder is an iteration on D&D 3.5.[9] But one sparks more joy when I look at it.

But let’s do another case study. I’ll need an audience volunteer, and my brother’s the only person immediately on hand.

I’m going to make him list three qualities of goblins real quick:

Green

Wimpy

Sneaky

Awesome. Don’t know if the green text translated, but those are what he wrote. Give him a hand!

So, with those three traits in mind, let’s look at a goblin picture from D&D Beyond:

(Owned by Wizards of the Coast. Source here)

Like, you can’t say D&D doesn’t call that a goblin, it’s literally on the goblin page.

This guy is yellow. He’s built like a four foot tall WWE Wrestler. He’s defending with his advancing arm as he rears up to smack ya!

(Okay, “Sneaky” is a hard one to argue.)

Moving on, what does Pathfinder call a Goblin:

(Owned by Paizo. Source here)

Look at this charming miscreant! Green. Big ole head. Good mix of of ugly and oddly adorable. Probably two feet tall, and happens to want your two feet, please, but you could step on him if you’d like.

He also looks like a Gremlin

(An adorable little chaos monster owned by Warner Brothers. Source)

Point is, Pathfinder’s more cartoony take on the classic monster feels more in the spirit of the thing. Every time I see one of those goofy faces, I feel like I’m in for an enjoyable time.

Bringing us back around to the point of this essay: the art direction of D&D bogs down my theater of the mind. The art in the rulebooks don’t inspire creativity or fantastic visions. It inspires… dull, lifeless people walking through dirt roads flanked by dead grass.

I don’t enjoy looking at D&D’s art. Relatedly, I don’t like looking at the art of Magic: the Gathering, whose style I can’t help by see in every D&D sourcebook cover I see. Neither game invokes an inviting world, but utilitarian ones that exist to give quick, forgettable visual flair to represent mechanical card effects.

To save making this long essay even longer and unfocused, I’ll save talk of actual ‘canon’ lore for another time.[10]

So why do I, a semi-professional funny man and sad dreamer who can’t actually draw, want to talk about rulebook art?

Well, I’ve always felt a disconnect when I play D&D. I make the characters, I roll the dice, I attempt to role-play, but I’ve always had an emotional gap between me and the character I’m playing. I like the concept, but when I use my theater of the mind, the character feels stiff and divorced from everything. Kind of like the 5th Edition rulebook.

Then I saw this:

(Source tweet. All of this artist’s work is great and I wish I could hire them.)

This half-elf showed up on my twitter timeline, and my first thought was ‘How come my characters don’t look like that?’

Soon followed by ‘Why couldn’t they?’

Then I completed the trilogy with ‘Why haven’t I imagined my characters in a style appealing to me?’

As I was deep into contemplating what sort of aesthetic I consider my “brand”,[11] it was entering a mind primed to start overanalyzing.

So, how do I imagine my characters? In the neighborhood of the D&D art, if I have firm concept. Micah Krane always was mentally nebulous to me, just kinda being a generic half-elf dude. Trix (who was created for the brightly colored Pathfinder) is green-haired and wears a tail coat, but otherwise is also normal looking in my mind’s eye. In the last two D&D campaigns, Tybalt was also vague in appearance, and Teddi had Goat horns, but those were meant to stand out on a generic rogue character.[13]

But you know what I’ve never put on a character I’ve played? Glasses.

I hope that those who read my various media reviews[14] don’t need this overly explained, but I like glasses. I, myself, don’t wear glasses, but I find them to be great accessories in character design. Frames the eyes, come in a variety of shapes, adds bit of extra visual interest. I always point out Meganekkos and pay them extra attention.[15] I really, really like girls with glasses.

But I’ve never made one. Because there’s no cute design in D&D rulebooks. Just a range of handsome people to ugly halflings.[16]

That is the effect of art design in a system. It sets tone, expectations, and aesthetic for the players. It’s so ingrained that everytime I see art of players’ characters that break the standard, it always takes me aback. It’s inspiring to see artists who manage to divorce D&D the game from D&D the art.

I want to imagine fun, personally appealing characters. But the subtle direction of the insert art as I look through to rulebook, or the provided character portraits of D&D Beyond does not suggest things I like to see. It infects the mind, and leaves specific molds. People in practical, mundane clothes, walking down drab, uninteresting roads.

It’s the same lack of escapism that makes Western (Video Game) RPGs super unappealing to me.[17] Dark Souls, Elder Scrolls, Bioshock don’t look like fun places to be, they look tiring and full of splintery furniture waiting to do 1d4 nonlethal damage.

So I have to talk about anime now.

My mother was staying at my home a little while ago, and I turned on My Roommate is a Cat. This prompted her ask me about what about anime was appealing. I couldn’t form a competent answer for the question at the time, but it’s had time to churn in my head.

Anime is a good middle ground between cartoon and realism. It can broach deeper topics and more mature storytelling than children’s cartoons,[18] without sacrificing a light visual tone and fantastic imagery. Also, the fact that it’s produced by a non-American, non-European culture lends a degree of separation with cultural expectations and tropes. Enhances Escapism.

Luckily, in (very) recent years, after generations of exchanging video games and animation back and forth, Japanese Tabletop RPGs are starting to join in on the fun.

Which means I can look at Ryuutama.

(Image copied from DriveThruRPG. Brought over the pacific by Kotodama Heavy Industries. Buy this book.)

I love this system.

Watercolor art direction. Layout evokes a spellbook. Two Characters and a Dog take the focus on the cover, while the road signs and tiny shrine in the background invoke the emphasis on travel and wonder.

The interior art?

(Taken off the Ryuutama (english) website. Buy this book.)

Well, that makes the game just look like fun. Cartoony characters fighting cat goblins. Conflict, but it doesn’t make life feel like a constant struggle. A world I wish to inhabit. There’s also more detailed images of dragons and other world-establishing pictures mixed in to give the art range, but it’s this sort of charming that makes Ryuutama the first rulebook I actually sat and read cover to cover.[19] It’s a good system I already reviewed. Buy this PDF, maybe they’ll reprint the physical book.

Anyways, I’ll admit, the art’s a little too simple for D&D. Perfect for Ryuutama, and the end of the scale I want my mental image to be, but overshoots the sweet spot. And it’s difficult enough to find players for the much more popular 5e, so Ryuutama exclusivity would grind my playtime to zero.

Still, Ryuutama does a great job of setting it’s light, fantastic tone, where D&D has failed me. The art direction of the books, and years of exposure and defaulting to what I assume D&D should look for establishes a mental habit that’s hard to break. Wizards of the Coast has drowned nerd spaces with its particular kind of art, especially with MtG plastered all over hobby stores, deck boxes, dice, playmats, and even D&D sourcebooks.

That’s not even accounting for fanworks and the speculative fiction art in online spaces.

So what do I want to look like? Were I blessed with talent or with patient to actually learn to draw well, what would I be referencing?

What about what set my expectations of fantasy years before IndigoDice invited me to that fateful Traveller game?

(Screen cap of Tales of Vesperia grabbed from here.)

Well, okay, what I’m actually thinking about is Tales of Symphonia, but Vesperia’s graphics are kinda what nostalgia tells me Symphonia tooked like, as opposed to what it actually looks like.[20]

Look at that verdant town! Warm lighting, bright characters, leaves growing to depict life. A hotel built into a tree. This is a fantasy world that is unashamed about life thriving.

Forget solarpunk. This is my aesthetic.

As for the party members…

(Okay, Judith’s a little gratuitous, but The Definitive Edition lets me put her in a suit, and she’s awesome. Art stolen from here.)

Oddly enough, as far as JRPG outfits go, these are pretty tame with details.[21] Mostly bright, popping colors, even Yuri’s dark clothes are done in such a way to not feel grim and edgy, hints of personality, and I just enjoy looking at them.

The Tales series as a whole does a good job of taking European fantasy and applying Japanese whimsy to the design. Also yukatas. Every member looks like the hero of their own story, while still being part of a cohesive whole.

Which is, you know, the ideal way to operate as a TRPG party.

So, what’s the take away?

Artists, keep being creative. Pull inspiration in from things besides the rulebooks and Critical Role. Look at the other things you love and bring visual flare and whimsy to your art. Then share it. Ignite the passions of those of us who can’t do the draw-good thing.

Players, play with the tropes. I love doing it narratively and mechanically. My favorite rogue is still my neutral good stage magician who would never do a crime. Explore what’s possible in the freeform world of tabletop games, both in play and your Theater of the Mind.

Game designers, branch out with the art. And stop using Powered by the Apocalypse as a crutch.[22]

Hope this long ramble was enjoyable and cohesive. If you want more of this, my other works, and maybe to allow me to make an actual play podcast, consider supporting me through Patreon or Ko-fi.

Until next time, may your dice make things interesting.

[1] Though I would love to read a transcript of the two discussing it. It'd be a fun debate. [2] I don't like Powered by the Apocalypse for precisely this reason. Every actual play I've heard with the system has players talking about their characters in the abstract, because they're just pressing the buttons on their character sheet.[3] [3] I maybe should do a breakdown of PbtA one day. [4] Which is pretty poor direction. Do an epic group shot of characters battling a horde around them. [5] None of the D&D core books has a dragon on the cover. Come on, that should’ve been a gimme! [6] Similar note as footnote 5. [7] Also CornflowerBlueDice is too long to be catchy. [8] I figured it out! [9] I haven’t looked at at Pathfinder’s forthcoming second edition. Fifth Edition reclaimed it’s throne as The ubiquitous system after fourth lost its footing, so I don’t think there’s much point. [10] TL;DR: I ignore it. [11] Pulp Fantasy is too mundane. Steampunk is too victorian-y. Sci-fi fractals into so much. Solarpunk has appeal, but isn’t quite right.[12] [12] Haven’t really found the term. [13] Let’s not examine that I put more thought into female character design than male for the moment. [14] Which you should. Validate my efforts! [15] And desperately pray it’s considered innocent enough of a fetish that I don’t have to stop. [16] Never liked halflings. Gnomes are fine. Halflings, in art, have always been off-putting and malformed. [17] That and the emphasis of character customization kneecapping the Player Character’s narrative involvement. Can’t give them a personality if that’s the end user’s job! [18] Even Avatar: The Last Airbender felt like it had to sneak the narrative depth it achieved past corporate. [19] I do need to give it a reread, though. Relearn the system. [20] It still looks good, especially the environment, but the characters are kind of… leaning towards chibi. [21] This, specifically, is why I chose to highlight Vesperia over Rune Factory. [22] Technically nothing to do with this essay, but I can’t stress this point enough.

#SepiaDiceRants #ryuutama #Fifth Edition #Dungeons and Dragons #pathfinder #tales of vesperia

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tired-pinetree · 6 years

Text

Wrote an essay about how the FBI uses the label “terrorism” and in conclusion

(I’ll post the rest of the essay under a read more, because I think it’s really important for anyone involved in any activism to know this stuff)

((Also much of what I wrote about is applicable to racist and islamophobic profiling, but I focused on “eco terrorism” here because the class I wrote this for was an environmental writing class))

Fire and metal shrapnel bursts from the car. The pipe bomb tears through the car and its two occupants. Judi Bari, the driver, takes the brunt of the force. Her pelvis is crushed, her life bleeding out of her. She and her passenger, fellow activist Darryl Cherney, survive. In just a few hours, however, they’re both arrested in the hospital. The FBI declares them “eco-terrorists,” almost entirely on the fact that two environmental activists were near a bombing. Eleven years later, a jury finally vindicated Cherney and Bari and mandated the FBI and Oakland police pay $4.4 million dollars for civil rights abuses. This verdict came far too late for Bari, who died of cancer five years earlier, still falsely deemed a terrorist. As attorney J. Tony Serra aptly warned, "the jury showed the rest of America that even in the face of brutal terrorism we cannot discard the very civil liberties that make the country great” (Zamora 2002).

Bari and Cherney’s case showcases a problem within the FBI and the justice system as a whole concerning terrorism, especially eco terrorism. Ask any particular person what a terrorist is or looks like, and you would likely get a quick answer. An answer heavily based off of prejudice, yes, but an answer nevertheless. The legal definition, however, is surprisingly ambiguous. This is particularly true following the September 11th attacks, as both the policies and consequences for alleged terrorism has increased even though the term “terrorism” itself has remained vague and even broadened its range.

Before any other analysis can be made, basic definitions and limitations must be determined. Eco terrorism has two general meanings: terrorism committed against the environment, and terrorism committed on behalf of the environment. Eco terrorism in this case will refer to extreme actions performed by environmentalists, and the same will hold for other mentions of eco terrorism in quoted material unless otherwise stated. Moreover, the use of “terrorism” in the phrase “eco terrorism” is not legally technical or a reflection of personal opinion as this phrase is widely used in discussions on this topic.

Before delving into the legal nature of eco terrorism and its consequences, first revisit personal and cultural concepts of terrorism. Picture some of the prevalent threads: masked militia surround and terrorize civilians; video recordings of executions; grimy guerilla fighters hunched in forests preparing an ambush; schools of kids held hostage; buildings bustling with people, bombed into an apocalypse of blood, fire, and dust. These scenes are noteworthy because they aim to hurt and kill people, and are often successful. By contrast, imagine radical environmentalism and “eco terrorism.” Consider some common situations: loud and annoying protests; graffiti, breaking windows, posted propaganda, slashing tires, and other minor vandalisms; sabotaging industrial equipment and property to delay or halt projects; tree huggers chaining themselves to trees and hammering spikes into them to deter chainsaws; releasing hundreds of minks from fur farms; and, in more extreme cases, arson. From a cursory glance, the difference is fairly clear. Although these eco terrorist acts are certainly crimes, they appear to be at a significantly lower magnitude and severity than terrorism.

Determining what is and isn’t terrorism is a harder concept to nail down legally. The precise definition is as follows: “The term ‘domestic terrorism’ means activities that – (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state; (B) appear to be intended – (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping, and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States” (US Code, Title 18, Code 2331). Essentially, anything potentially violent with a social, economic, or political motivation could be considered terrorism. This is the conventional, pre 9/11 definition of terrorism and is the basic interpretation used by the FBI. Both Robert Mueller, FBI Director in 2005, and James Jarboe, Domestic Terrorism Section Chief in 2002, have named eco terrorism as a serious threat (Jarboe 2002, Eco-Terror Indictments 2006). Director Mueller stated “Terrorism is terrorism, no matter what the motive […] persons who conduct this kind of activity are going to spend a long time in jail, regardless of their motive” (Eco-Terror Indictments 2006). Therefore, if eco terrorism is to be evaluated independently of its purpose and whatever justification that may provide, as Mueller demands, then an objective look at what separates terrorism from simple crimes is necessary.

Ignoring personal morality and ethics over the goals and tactics of eco-terrorists simplifies the question to a matter of legality and loopholes. Former FBI Domestic Terrorism Chief Jarboe attempts to expand the definition of domestic terrorism to cover criminal violence or threatened violence against individuals or property for the purpose of sending a larger message concerning environmentalism (2002). The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) restates this basic definition while touching on some of the controversial aspects when it comes to the specifics. However, when the FBI and START begin to venture from this base, they begin to contradict themselves and bring in irrelevant information. For example, the FBI has stated radical environmentalism is terrorism in part because it is highly organized, but the FBI also says eco terrorist groups are highly disorganized and barely functions as any sort of structured organization (FBI 2002, FBI 2006, FBI 2008). START also participates in conflicting information as it cites acts outside of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as one of its criteria. However, the IHL doesn’t apply to domestic or eco terrorism because neither qualifies as an armed conflict (START, ICRC 2014). Even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a similar document, cannot be used to definitively support either side, though several articles can be interpreted to support or condone eco terrorism (ICRC 2014, UN 1948). As can be seen, terrorism in both name and concept has had an obscurity for years. This lack of clarity has intensified in the years since 9/11. Due to legislature such as the Patriot Act and rhetoric, terrorism qualifications and punishments have expanded, but remained ambiguous. Before moving into these later additions, however, does eco terrorism already qualify as terrorism?

The core of this issue is determining what separates terrorism from ordinary criminal activity. After all, few of the thousands of violent crimes committed each year are considered terrorism, and charges of terrorism carry serious consequences. The FBI and other groups like the ADL argue that radical environmentalists are eco-terrorists due to the economic cost of vandalism, their level of organization and uniform intent, and their violent rhetoric (FBI 2008, ADL). However, others like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), many individuals, and the “eco terrorist” organizations themselves deny this. Steve Vanderheiden, author of a text discussing radical environmentalism, explains in depth that eco terrorism cannot, under the conventional understanding of terrorism, be considered terrorism. Vanderheiden discusses that terrorism is a trend of violence or threat of violence against a specific group of people but where victims are randomly chosen from this group, people are the primary or secondary target of this violence, with the intent to manipulate the social structure or the government. The targets of eco terrorist attacks may be considered as a subgroup, however, targets of eco terrorism are not random and are specifically chosen in response to their actions. In addition, as Vanderheiden points out, the general public is not targeted, only wealthy leaders of companies that damage the environment. Therefore, the widespread terror and coercion against society that characterizing terrorism is absent. Although eco terrorism is, by its nature, motivated toward social, political, or economic change, the intents of one of the most prevalent “eco terrorist” organization, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) specifically states several times that harm against people is to be avoided and is not the intent of their actions (ELF 2001). Following this, eco terrorism has never resulted in the death or serious injury of a person in America, despite its presence since the 1970s (FBI 2008, Vanderheiden 2005, ADL, ELF 2001). Undoubtedly ELF and other eco-terrorists have committed dramatic, and sometimes serious, crimes such as arson, widespread vandalism, and releasing captive animals en mass (FBI 2002). However, no one has been hurt or killed, and these acts of violence have been focused on inanimate objects and economic tools (property, profit, etc.). Can – and should – terrorism be allowed to cover violence towards these nonsentient objects? Paul Watson, captain of the anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd, argues “We agree with the assessment […] that violence cannot be committed against a non-sentient object. Sea Shepherd sometimes damages equipment used for illegal activities, but we have an unblemished record [in regards to injuries/deaths caused by Sea Shepherd]” (New Zealand Herald 2010). Vanderheiden, along with many people and organizations labeled “eco-terrorists,” agree that violence against people is significant and applicable to the label “terrorism,” whereas vandalism and other forms of violence against inanimate objects should rarely, if ever, be considered terrorism (Vanderheiden 2005, ELF 2001). It’s based off of the simple idea that harm against people is worse than harm against objects. Kidnapping is worse than stealing, murder is worse than vandalism. Equivocating the two as similarly terrorist acts is misleading rhetoric as the two are not comparable.

Due to these key differences, “eco-terrorists” would typically not be considered terrorists. However, the Patriot Act of 2001 and other new policies have changed that. They expanded how and when anti-terrorism resources and procedures can be used while intensifying rhetoric against eco terrorism. The ACLU published the changes made under section 802 of the act. Among them, they found that governmental powers expanded to investigate and prosecute anything with the potential for terrorism (ACLU). Terrorism now covers anything that may pose a danger to human life, regardless of the intensity, likelihood, or conditions of this danger (ACLU). Furthermore, anything that may cause economic damage, either through the loss of profits or the destruction or theft of property, is also terrorism (Vanderheiden 2005). The FBI openly admits to using legislation to widen the definition of terrorism and implement more severe punishments, stating “we’re also taking advantage of the 2006 revision to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which toughened penalties […] and included secondary targets” (FBI 2008). Using this vague justification of potential human harm and financial loss, the government can then investigate individuals and organizations intensely and using the policies created or expanded upon under the Patriot Act (ACLU). Given these new policies, the potential for civil liberty abuse from the FBI is extraordinarily high. These new policies have created three powerful tools the government can use to violate civil rights and coerce terrorism charges: asset seizure, access to highly confidential information, and preemptive prosecution.

Asset seizure is a significant weapon the government uses against alleged terrorists and activists. Seizure of assets allows law enforcement to confiscate all of a person or group’s resources, including money, property, and valuables (ACLU). Without any warning, before any hearing, without ever being charged with a crime, anyone can suddenly find themselves homeless and penniless for months (ACLU). Since these are considered civil cases, not criminal cases, the victim of asset seizure does not have a right to a lawyer if they can’t afford one – and given that all of their resources are currently possessed by the government, they almost certainly cannot afford one. Even if the civil case goes favorably, the government is not required to give much justification about why they appropriated assets and are not liable for any wrongdoing related to it (ACLU). This results in little to no consequences for hasty or false seizures against innocent people. As such, it is a powerful weapon against any person or individual the government doesn’t approve of, regardless of their crimes or lack of crimes (ACLU).

Protection for confidential information is significant because it limits bias and keeps the government from having absolute power and control over the nation. Despite this importance, government is now able to access information that previously was protected under privacy laws. Again, all it takes are vague and subjective terrorism suspicions, and again the FBI doesn’t need to verify the legitimacy of these claims or face consequences for false ones. This information covers academic performance, private medical/health information (such as counseling and abortions), what organizations they are involved in, family income, race, taxpayer information, and other previously confidential information (ACLU). Americans seem to have become relatively desensitized to privacy leaks and government spying, however, releasing this sensitive information quickly leads to coercion and heavily biased cases. Legally improper probes conducted by the FBI into nonviolent organizations such as Greenpeace have already been uncovered (ACLU, Jerry 2010). Nonviolent activists and organizations who have never ventured outside the realm of civil disobedience were arbitrarily placed on terrorist watch lists in an effort to control legal, peaceful activism (Jerry 2010). There is nothing stopping the FBI from repeating this, no consequences, and no real limits to their power.

Underlying these aggressive tactics is preemptive prosecution. Preemptive prosecution is a strategy where people are investigated, charged, and prosecuted on the basis of possible future terrorism and not actual terrorist plots (Downs and Manley, 2014). This larger theme of improperly and illegally charging people with terrorism was uncovered by Project SALAM and the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF), revealing that the vast majority of terrorism arrests and charges have been based on entrapment and preemptive prosecution (Downs and Manley 2014). Their study shows that 72.4% of nearly 400 terrorist convictions were based on this illegal tactic, with 94.2% of cases having strong elements of preemptive prosecution (Downs and Manley 2014). In nearly every case, these “terrorist plots” were lead by an FBI paid infiltrator who incited and planned violence while manipulating others into the plot (Downs and Manley 2014). In essence, the FBI was mostly busting itself for terrorism, while arresting and charging nonviolent activists and minorities with terrorism. The ACLU and other organizations claim that these charges of terrorism and flexible definition of terrorism has been deliberately used by the FBI to attack activists and destabilize activism groups (ACLU). This attitude of exaggerated threat and response is dubbed the Green Scare, in reference to the McCarthyism of the 1950s (Loadenthal 2013). Combining preemptive prosecution and the low requirements to be charged and convicted of terrorism, America’s domestic anti-terrorism effort ends up strengthening authoritarian government control and protecting the profits and interests of companies.

In recent years, the harmful effects of overzealous terrorism labeling is increasingly clear. Vanderheiden states that a terrorist is unbound by moral limitations against harming others, and therefore, eliminating terrorism can follow similarly merciless procedures. This increases the importance of determining who is a terrorist and who is simply a criminal, bystander, victim, or activist. Bari and Cherney are far from the only people to be falsely charged with eco terrorism. Eric McDavid served nine years in jail for allegedly plotting to blow up a dam before key documents suddenly appeared in 2015 proving that McDavid was coerced and entrapped into the plot by a person paid by the FBI to incite acts of terrorism (Kuipers 2015). In other cases, like John Burton Wade, his criminal actions would have not resulted in charges of terrorisms prior to these changes, according to professor of environmental Peter Manus and unnamed governmental officials (Baldwin 2008). Consider your own personal history with activism and organizations. If you have ever participated in anything as innocuous as a boycott or a peaceful protest, or been a member of an organization who has, you may be on a terrorist watchlist or classified as a terrorist without you ever knowing.

Thusly, the simple answer to “is eco terrorism actually terrorism” is yes, technically it falls under terrorism and has been treated as such. However, classifying activism as terrorism is a major threat to human rights and civil liberties. Countless people have suffered under the government’s domestic anti-terrorism policies, and anyone could be next. By their own definitions, the FBI is far more of a terrorist organization than the ELF or any other eco terrorist could be.

References

“Eco-Terror Incitments: ‘Operation Backfire’ Nets 11.” (Jan 20 2006). Federal Bureau of Investigation archive.

“Ecoterrorism: Extremism in the animal rights and environmental movements.” Anti-Defamation league (ADL).

“Hardline warrior in war to save the whale.” (Jan 10 2010) New Zealand Herald.

“How the USA Patriot Act redefines ‘domestic terrorism’.” ACLU.

“New documents show FBI targeting environmental and animal rights groups activities as ‘domestic terrorism’.” (Dec 20 2005). ACLU.

“Putting intel to work against ELF and ALF terrorists.” (June 6 2008). Federal Bureau of Investigation archive.

“What is international humanitarian law?” (Dec 2014) International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Baldwin, Brent (Feb 6 2008). “Wade’s War.” Style.

Downs, Stephen and Manley, Kathy (May 2014, updated 2017). Inventing Terrorists: The Lawfare of Preemptive Prosecution. Project SALAM AND National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). (2001). North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office. ELF.

Jarboe, James F. (Feb 12 2002). Testimony of James F. Jarboe, Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, FBI, Before the House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health “The Threat of Eco-Terrorism.” Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Kuipers, Dean (Jul 30 2015). “Exclusive: tough questions for Feds after they jailed an innocent man for nine years.” Take Part.

Loadenthal, Micheal (Jan 2013). ‘The Green Scare’ & ‘Eco-Terrorism’: The Development of US Counter-Terrorism Strategy Targeting Direct Action Activists. Research Gate.

Markon, Jerry (Sept 20 2010). “FBI probes were improper, Justice says.” Washington Post.

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START). Data Collection and the Definition of Terrorism. Global Terrorism Database.

United Nations General Assembly (1948). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations.

US Code. Title 18. Code 2331.

Zamora, Jim Herron (June 12, 2002). “After 11 years, jury vindicates Earth First pair / FBI, Oakland officers must pay $4.4 million for civil rights abuses.” SF Gate.

#terrorism #eco terrorism #activism #fbi #corruption #post 9/11 bullshit #long post #but it's important #i'm actually kinda proud of this essay #i noticed a few antifa blogs followed me a bit ago #thought i'd give them something relevent to their interests

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rockinthebeastmode · 6 years

Text

Sleuth

A/N: I finished this sooner than expected--thank god for mega monsters, amirite? I hope you all enjoy this one, especially since I haven’t really written Archie before. I probably didn’t do him justice but eh, whatcha gonna do? I must warn you, this is also very self-indulgent as I’ve forced in a couple OCs (you might recognize them from my very first fic posted and never finished) and I strongly encourage you not to read it bc its literally the worst 😅😂 I came up with this eons ago and its actually based off prompt #6 from this list

You can find the rest of my fics here.

@mmfdfanfic @eveerez @i-dream-of-emus@lilaviolet @laurielau@hey1tskat1e@tinakegg@kneekeyta@likeashootingstarfades @girl-looking-out-window@stinemarine @lurkernolonger@crystalgiddings1993@milllott @milymargot @vivammfd @finn-nelson-for-the-win@ifinallyknow@isthistherightwayround@believethaticanandiwill

Let me know if you want to be added/removed from the tag list and if I missed anyone :)

Sleuth

“Gooooood morning, Stamford, you’re listening to the one and only No Crap FM this fine Sunday and--”

Archie’s hand reached out and slammed down on the clock radio next to the bed, cutting Rae off mid-sentence. He was a huge fan of her and Finn’s station any other day of the week but her cheeriness this early was too much to take. He felt like someone had taken a piss on his soul. Why did people even have alarm clocks? With today’s technology?

His eyes shot open at the thought, glaring curiously at the offending electronic. He didn’t have a bloody radio clock. His head pounded at the onslaught of light from the window and he groaned, throwing an arm over his face. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his fluttering gut, and gingerly patted the side table for his glasses.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” he muttered, squinting in the daylight at his crookedly fixed glasses, the middle held together by thick tape. He went to wipe the lenses with the duvet and acutely became aware of his nudity. Panic struck before his now clear eyes saw the ripped remains of condom wrappers strewn along the table and floor. He smirked, glancing down at the love bites and light scratches down his chest.

“Uncle Archie’s still got it,” he sighed with a stretch, glancing around the room.

He was in a small bedroom, sparsely furnished with just the bed with two tables, several moving boxes, and a large half-zipped suitcase with an American luggage tag. The table beside him where he’d found his glasses held a ripped box of condoms but his phone was nowhere to be found. The other table had a few guitar picks, a pack of cigarettes, and an ashtray with one still smoking faintly.

He spotted his clothes scattered on the floor between the bed and door. A bass guitar and case sat in the corner, a small amp and more picks beside it. One door was shut but another was cracked, a tile floor barely visible in the darkness. Archie stood and stretched again before gathering his clothes and warily pushing the cracked door fully open and flicking the light switch.

***

“This had better be good, Finley,” Rae warned her fiance, Archie nodding along.

“Too right, last time you dragged us to the Basement, it was nothing but nonsensical noise--”

“Leave off! They’re good, swear,” Finn argued, his arm going around Rae’s waist, “This is the one, babe, trust me.” Rae’s brows raised and she exchanged looks with Archie.

“D’ya hear that, Arch, he’s found the one. After five wedding band flops, he’s done it.”

“I’d thought it was six--” Finn cursed and stormed ahead of them into the club, Rae and Archie giggling behind him.

Archie’s lip curled as they entered, the acrid scent of sweat, booze and smoke coming over them like a wave. Archie followed Rae and Finn to the bar, looking around as they spoke to the bartender.

“These guys any good, Jonny?” Rae asked over the music booming from the speakers by the stage. He nodded with a half-shrug.

“They’ve only been in town a few weeks, the lead singer and drummer are from Leeds or some shit,” he waved a hand dismissively before leaning closer, “It’s the guitarists you gotta see--both American but they’re ace. And the bass player’s voice?” He swooned and Rae laughed before narrowing her eyes at Finn, his brows raising at her.

Archie looked at the stage and saw two men at the mic and drumset, performing sound checks, while a man and woman stood to the side, talking to each other. The girl was slight with choppy blond hair and an infectious grin. The boy was tall and broad around the shoulders, his black hair clipped short and neat. The girl seemed to be comforting the boy, her hand rubbing his bicep with him biting his lip and nodding. The two came towards the bar and his eyes left them, going back to Rae and Finn beside him.

“We’re here to find a band, not to help you pull,” Rae teased, elbowing him lightly. He shot her a glare.

“I’m not pulling tonight,” he countered, leaning on the bar, “The only reason I’m at this hole in the wall is to be the second opinion.” Finn shoved at his shoulder.

“Y’know, maybe I should’ve picked Chop as a best man,” he grumbled, Archie making a face at him.

“Shove it, you two, they’re about to start.”

As if on cue, the two at the bar took a shot each and made their way back to the stage. Archie watched them curiously as they picked up guitars, the boy flipping a pick in his hand before strumming a short bassline. He glanced over the crowd and met Archie’s eyes, his lips quirking. He smiled back, feeling his ears and cheeks start to burn. Their contact broke as the drummer tapped out a beat and started them off.

***

The air in the bathroom was still thick with warmth, a piney musk enveloping Archie as he stepped inside. On the back of the toilet was an embellished incense burner with a stick smoldering halfway down. Between the sink and toilet sat another ashtray, along with several toiletries. He leant down to investigate further, wrinkling his nose when he recognized Finn’s signature CK One. He glanced over the manual shaving supplies, a stiff brush and several ethnic hair products. He placed his clothes on the counter and turned to the shower. He’d shagged and slept here already, he might as well.

It was clear he’d pulled last night but fuck if he could remember how he’d ended up here. He vaguely recalled getting to the bar and making eyes with the bass player of the band but afterwards was fuzzy.

“Fucking vodka,” he groused under his breath before turning the shower knob. He stepped inside when the water warmed and blew out a long sigh as it washed away the remnants of the night.

He knew he should’ve just left and found his way home but he couldn’t help but be curious. Hook-ups were few and far between in this town but from what he could tell, there might’ve been something here. If only he could remember the bloke’s name...

*** The band was good and Jonny had been spot on--the guitarists were a force to be reckoned with. The blonde played lead and her fingers flew over the strings, playing almost perfectly despite her jumping around her side of the stage. On the other end, the bass player stayed in place but played just as well, his eyes closed as he nodded and swayed with the beat.

They played a mix of 90’s rock and alternative, with some newer stuff thrown in. Rae seemed skeptical for the first half of the show but came around towards the end when the lead singer stepped back from the mic and the bass player leaned into his.

How many special people change How many lives are living strange Where were you while we were getting high?

He exchanged a smirk with Finn when Rae was transfixed, a teary smile coming over her face. Finn had definitely redeemed himself with this one.

When the final notes rang out and the band members had bowed and left the stage to a round of raucous cheers and applause, Archie left Rae and Finn to meet them, finding an empty table nearby. He sipped his drink as he looked around the club and heard the DJ music start from the speakers.

Archie almost choked when he saw the bass player coming straight for him. He looked to the side and coughed but turned back with a smile when he reached the side of the table.

“Mind if I sit?” he started in a deep baritone, biting his lip. Archie nodded, waving a hand over the table. He settled into the seat across from him and sipped at a beer. He fiddled with the label for a moment before holding out a hand.

“I’m Lex,” he said, a shy grin appearing. Archie placed his hand in his, praying it wasn’t sweaty enough to notice.

“Archie,” he replied.

“So, Archie,” Lex began, his hands clasping around his beer bottle, “How’d you like the show?”

Archie’s eyes widened and he smiled wide.

“You were great,” he said, internally kicking himself as Lex raised a brow at him, “I mean...it was great. The band was great.”

“Right, thanks,” Lex nodded, laughing softly. He shrugged, his cheeks brightening with a light blush, “Could probably tell how nervous I was.” Archie shook his head, leaning forward a bit.

“No, not at all,” he insisted, “You were great.”

“As you said,” Lex teased. He smiled again and Archie felt like he could melt to the floor when a dimple appeared. He cleared his throat and continued, “You here alone?”

Archie shook his head again, pointing over to Rae and Finn at the bar, the other band members with them.

“I’m with my best mates--they wanted to check out your band, see if you could play their wedding.” Lex’s brows raised.

“Oh, yeah? Did we make the cut?” he asked, sipping his beer. Archie looked over at the bar and saw Rae laughing, Finn beside her with a small smug smile.

“Looks like it,” he answered.

He watched as Lex pursed his lips and nodded before glancing at the group. Archie noticed the blonde waving him over but Lex remained seated, meeting his eyes.

“Shouldn’t you join them?” He shrugged, wrinkling his nose.

“I should,” he paused, looking Archie over, “I’m talking to you.”

Archie felt his cheeks and ears warm and he bit his lip as Lex slowly smirked at him. He coughed lightly before gulping at his drink, the liquor burning down his throat.

“So...the blonde,” he started, Lex tilting his head, “She’s your girlfriend?”

Lex’s eyes widened and he barked a laugh, before sticking out his tongue as if in disgust.

“Naw, she’s my sister,” he said, leaning back in his chair. When confusion appeared on Archie’s face, he went on, “Step-sister. My dad and her mom were married.” Archie nodded before his brow furrowed.

“Were?”

Lex’s eyes dropped for a moment and he leaned on his elbows on the table.

“She died awhile ago.” Archie repressed a wince and smiled sympathetically. He opened his mouth to apologize but Lex cut him off, “It’s cool--she’s in a better place.” His eyes shifted to the side and he raised a shoulder, “Now that I’ve killed the mood...can I buy you another drink?”

***

Archie exited the shower and towelled off before neatly hanging it up and fixing the curtain. He stood in front of the mirror and shook out his hair, running a hand through it.

Lex...short for Alexander, he assumed.

“Like Alexander the Great,” he scoffed lightly before shaking his head at himself. He twisted his mouth at his reflection, taking in the circles under his eyes. He noticed faint bruises around his throat and bit his lip as a flash of the night appeared across his mind.

Yeah, he’d pulled alright.

He shook out his jeans and tugged them on. He raised his t-shirt up and stared curiously at the dirt and grass stains over the back of it and his jeans. His brow furrowed before he pulled on the shirt and exited the room.

As he left the bedroom, he glanced around the small living room and kitchen to the side. He went to the kitchen first, looking over the room. There were several takeout containers and empty beer cans scattered throughout, along with a pot with fresh coffee but an empty creamer container next to it. He went to the fridge and looked over the menus and a scribbled grocery list. Underneath a small rainbow magnet was a note with thick block lettering.

Lex, You missed practice asshole! I know you’re tripping out over our first gig but we need you. Call me ASAP Evan

Archie frowned as he read over it again, his eyes locked on ‘Evan’.

Fuck if he was gonna get caught up with a taken man. He shook his head and turned back to the living room. He would leave soon but he figured he should try searching in here for his phone first.

*** Archie and Lex talked for awhile, long after Rae and Finn had left and the rest of the band had made their exit. When closing time came around, the two went outside, Lex lighting a cigarette. He offered one to Archie but he smiled and shook his head. They stood silently for a moment as Lex took a drag and he exhaled, biting his lip.

“Wanna go for a walk?” Archie’s brows raised in surprise but his smile widened as he nodded.

“Sure.”

They started down the street, walking along the road on the grass. Archie felt the vodka sloshing around his gut but wasn’t feeling sick quite yet. He focused on walking straight, butterflies erupting in his stomach as his and Lex’s arms brushed.

His voice was as intoxicating as the vodka and Archie found himself paying more attention to it than the ground in front of them. He stopped speaking and Archie tuned back into reality just as he stumbled over a rock and started to fall. Lex grabbed his arm as he braced himself to hit the ground but he only pulled him down with him, his back slamming into the grass with Lex against him. Archie inhaled sharply as they caught their breath and Lex adjusted himself over him.

“You good?” he asked, looking over his face in concern. Archie shakily nodded the best he could from the ground and his glasses fell from his face, broken clean in half.

“Bloody brilliant,” he murmured, Lex chuckling at his tone.

“My place isn’t far if you wanna fix those up,” he suggested, raising a brow.

Archie hesitated, knowing it wasn’t exactly safe to go home with someone he’d just met but he did need them fixed, especially if he planned on heading home. He nodded again and Lex smiled and rolled off of him before helping him up. Archie felt his cheeks burn as he took his hand and led them down the street.

***

Archie didn’t have to search long, immediately finding his phone on the coffee table next to an almost empty bottle of vodka and an ashtray with a half smoked spliff. A laptop was down the table, open to a map of Stamford with a short route to a grocery store highlighted. He recognized where he was and sighed in relief. Knowing his luck, he would’ve ended up in Bristol or something.

He frowned at his phone screen, the battery almost dead. There were a couple missed calls each from Finn and Rae, as well as a voicemail from this morning. He held it up to his ear to listen.

“Hey, Arch, I know it’s early but I’m just checking in. We wanted to make sure you got home alright,” Rae paused and Archie heard a tinkling of keys over the line before she continued, her tone turning sly, “Don’t think we didn’t notice you flirting with Lex, Archibald--too bad we left before we could meet with him. Guess you’ll have to introduce us as we plan the wedding playlist. So much for not pulling, aye? Anyways...call me back!”

Archie laughed softly as the message faded out and he shoved his phone in his pocket and went towards the front door. He’d just grabbed the knob when he glanced over a picture hanging on the wall. It showed a teenage Lex, his sister beside him with a man resembling him and a fair brunette woman standing behind them. He squinted at the small note scribbled at the bottom of the frame.

My dear Alexander Happy birthday! Seems like only yesterday when I met your father and you were only up to my hip. Stop growing up so fast, kid! Between you and Evangeline, we can’t keep up. Love you so much! xoxo Mom

Archie smiled as he read over it again and his eyes went back over the name.

Evangeline...Evan?

His eyes widened and he bit his lip, repressing his relief over the discovery. Maybe Lex was single after all...but he wouldn’t get his hopes up.

*** “There...good as new.”

Archie blinked through his fixed glasses, the tape slightly visible. He smiled at Lex and leaned back into the couch.

“Cheers,” he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He shivered when Lex’s hand brushed his knee reaching for the table and his eyes shot open as he pulled out a rolling paper and a small bag of weed.

“D’ya mind?” he asked, raising his brows. Archie shook his head, watching as Lex grinned and started rolling a spliff. He looked around the room.

“Nice place,” he said, glancing over the slightly cluttered living room with boxes scattered randomly and a few posters and pictures along the walls.

“Thanks,” Lex chuckled, “Still unpacking from the move.”

“You’re from the States?” Lex nodded, shooting him a smirk.

“As if you couldn’t tell,” he teased, Archie sticking his tongue out at him.

“What brought you all the way here?” Lex half-shrugged, raising the spliff to lick it closed.

“My sister’s dad was British. She grew up with the boys and kept up with them after coming over with her mom...dragged me here to play with them,” he explained, grinning at Archie.

He lit the spliff and handed it to Archie before reaching for a bottle of vodka with only a small amount left. He felt his stomach flip at the sight but was shortly distracted by Lex’s Adam’s apple bobbing as he took a swig. He was thankful he didn’t offer the bottle to him but instead placed it back on the table.

The air seemed charged around them and Archie felt a warmth to the room as he and Lex smoked. They’d only reached about halfway down the joint when Lex put it down and faced him on the couch.

“Are you sure you’re alright? We hit the ground pretty hard,” he said, his lips flattening. Archie nodded and froze when Lex reached up to his face, running a finger along a scratch formed from his glasses breaking. Their eyes met and Archie felt himself leaning into him. He let the vodka guide him forward and kissed him.

Lex responded quickly, his hand moving from his cheek to the back of his neck and deepening the kiss. Archie grasped his shirt and tugged him closer against the couch. He felt his tongue against his lips and his mouth parted, his arms circling Lex’s shoulders. His hand grabbed the couch behind him and he pressed Archie against the couch tighter, bringing them chest to chest. When Lex’s mouth slid to his neck, his eyes rolled and he groaned softly. The words were out before he could think about it.

“Where’s your room?”

***

Archie opened the door and took one last glance over the room before stepping into the hall. He started towards the lift and stopped short when a small dog cut him off, yipping and barking excitedly. He held his hands up as it jumped at him, an older lady exiting her flat and ushering it back inside. Just as she apologized and closed her door, the lift opened and Lex stepped out, a paper bag in his arms. They locked eyes and both smiled hesitantly as they met in the middle of the hall. He held up the bag with a sheepish grin.

“Hey...sorry I ducked out,” he said, “Ran out of creamer.”

“No problem…” Archie replied breathily, biting back a nervous grin, “I should probably get going.”

Lex looked disappointed but nodded with a small smile. He leaned forward, kissing Archie’s cheek and his ears burned as Lex smirked.

“I’ll text you,” he said before scrunching his nose, “If you give me your number, that is.”

Archie chuckled and nodded, tapping his number into Lex’s phone a moment later. They parted ways and Archie entered the lift, watching as Lex smiled at him one more time before entering his flat. He couldn’t help but grin to himself as the doors closed.

#mmfd fanfic #mmfdfanfic #mmfd fanfiction #my mad fat diary fanfiction #my mad fat diary fanfic #my mad fat diary #mymadfatdiary #mmfd #sleuth

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kemeticcalloutsfromthepublic · 6 years

Text

@ptah-ikemi-ka

We are responding to this post.

You really like this new phrase don’t ya. We would like to accept your challenge.

We would like to inform you most of what you have ranted on, is either embellished or incorrect. We would like to address these and correct them accordingly.

“ but the relative peace we had changed when some folks started to be outright disrespectful towards other religions and also towards other people. “

Use your words, who are you referring to here? The vagueblogging, top notch.

What we think you are referring to is the piety posse, smarmy’s antics with solo, and then the social justice kemetics dogpiling of innocent people in the community, the fake racist god fiasco, belittling the gods, attacking trans people, chasing others off their blogs, making a blog dedicated to bullying a grand total of 5 actual people, attacking another member over hair, attacking that same person for months, and constantly insisting only one person in the community has the “correct” information on ma’at. We would like to add these are what directly comes to mind. We would like to add it’s the same small grouping of people who did all of this which has destroyed our community’s peace and ability to have dialogues.

“ oh its nothing new, almost every issue you see talked about at the present was talked about 3 years ago, the usual includes antisemetism, whitewashing, and throwing POC under the bus “

We would like clarification on what you mean by ‘throwing POC’s under the bus’? If you mean not instantly abandoning ones opinions to obediently pay lip service to and parrot their opinions, we would have to say you are over embellishing.

All other instances we have seen crop up have been exaggerated and labeled inappropriately for what the discussion was. We would like to add that such labels were tossed on the individuals to invalidate their arguments, despite them being actually correct, most of the time. We’ve viewed each supposed instance of these and found very few are legitimate.

“ thats when the split happened, and the community was grouped into two ‘sides’ “

Incorrect. We would like to inform you the split happened when smarmy grouped up with cheshirepiourette and birbreligion, to attack people in the community, like ravenous hyenas desperate for a morsel. Smarmy at the time introduced her hard stop policy of “us vs them” mentalities, which Shezep actually warned her against at the beginning (iirc). We would like to inform you, THAT is when the split happened.

“ I am not pretending the Drama and the Baggage is not there, I myself had to choose between the two ‘sides’, I am part of the Drama and the Baggage but I am also Not The One who is engaging with the community while closing my eyes to the issues that is plaguing the community “

We would like to say, you aren’t necessarily part of the drama, you just enable it. We would like to dispel the illusions of the “baggage and drama” and clarify it all for you.

It’s one group of people (who you engage with often and defend), who cause all the problems. They attack, the people defend, they throw a label and then spend weeks exaggerating about how x person is “so amazingly evil omg”.

We would like to clarify, they are usually, if not always incorrect. If they stopped trying to win every argument with accusations, name calling, and constantly lying about people, the community wouldn’t have split. But then we would have a diverse community with a wide range of beliefs and thoughts, can’t have that now, can we?

“ So dont turn a blind eye on these issues that is an integral part of understanding the nuances of being a kemetic on this day and age. “

No one turns a blind eye (we wish we could but by the gods, we are not given a single chance). We would like to add half the issues are invented, and the other half are barely coherent enough to be considered anything but a political fever dream.

“ We reminded people again and again not to be antisemitic. Lo and behold, its an issue! “

We find it rather odd how “please don’t be antisemitic” is thrown at these people as “omg you are an evil antisemitic, block list, hey guys they are an antisemitic spread it around, block them!!!”

We notice the two versions aren’t identical, weird, and then people get defensive, as if they were, accused. Strange, that. “Lo and behold” such “reminders” are never as simple and innocuous as you present here. “Lo and behold”.

“ Ya’ll keep saying, we want the Religion, but not the Drama and not the Baggage, when the fucking Drama and Baggage is literally reminders to people not to be a fucking dick towards other religions and communities. “

WE would like to add how ironic it is that these “reminders” are always accusations and personal attacks on people to beat them down into submission to your views. It’s almost like the “reminders” cause all the problems.

This would suggest "y’all” cause all the drama and baggage because people want to express religion in their own ways. But you want them to express it in your ways only, that you approve of. We think that sounds sort of...overreaching your station.

“Lo and behold”, until you all decided to start the trend of disguising “reminders” sorry, accusations, drama was minimal.

“Lo and behold” the community was a welcoming and fun place when these mods started, before your drama and baggage emerged.

“Lo and behold” maybe you should find better ways to ““remind”“ people that doesn’t outright accuse them of being morally evil.

Wow! What a groundbreaking idea!

“ so what the fuck are you doing? what the fucking fuck are you doing? to help? to make the community better? to elevate the kemetics into a greater community? “

We are cleaning up the shitty trash you and the people you enable keep shitting all over the place like pigeons playing chess.

Better question, what are YOU doing besides bitching about the inevitable results of you and your friends constant shitting and blaming it on someone else? What are YOU doing besides armchair slacktivism? What is YOUR contribution here?

The kemetics can better be elevated into a greater community by not demanding they all follow one thought, one idea, one concept, one ideology, and one political stance, pre-approved by an itty bitty titty committee.

“ do you engage the community and the issues it is dealing with? “

We do! We do quite often to try and make this fetid waste semi-habitable again, just check out our blog!

“ or do you engage the religion while pretending these issues are not part of the religion? “

We find it ironic you mention the nuances of issues and then cavalierly condense it into two choices. We find this entirely deceptive.

We do not pretend these issues are not real, we just notice that 9 times out of 10 they are minor, barely worth mentioning issues which cause no fuss until “““someone”““ decides to ““Remind”“ everyone they are bad for not instantly agreeing and exaggerate the issue into a catastrophic event. Maybe “y’all” should stay in your fucking lane.

We would like to add, some with low reading comprehension might say that sounds like maintaining the status quo. We would like to inform you, we have an exciting new concept! Not tossing awful insults and labels on someone to win the argument with a hollow point!

WE have this exciting new idea of talking to people about these issues instead talking at them (or shouting them down)! Or talking to people without the self-entitled condescending tones!

We would even go so far as to suggest having dialogue with them to hear out their points instead of trying to convert them to YOUR point while refusing to listen to them! But that’s not all! You can also take this spicy new approach of not lying about them and spreading horrible rumors to destroy their reputations and try to run them out of the community!

We encourage trying these EXCITING new techniques to talking to people like an adult and not angsty teenagers angling for a fight.

--Memphis & Cairo

#kemetic fandom #kemetic community #kemeticism #kemetic #how to talk to people like an adult 101 #exciting new oppurtunities for growth #treating people like people #amazing concepts #how to not be a horrible high school bully in 3 easy steps #the importance of understanding morality vs ideology #ptah-ikemi-ka #response #@ us back weakling

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